System Information in a Nutshell

Many of us have spent enough time on the Internet to come across a few forums where some of the users had a signature consisting of the configuration of their system. The information regarding the operating environment is usually showcased because of two independent reasons that can also be intertwined: showing off the ''muscle'' under the computer case or offering valuable data for professionals that can help when there's a functioning problem with your PC.

Regardless of the motivation, the need to view a summary of your installed components can be fulfilled using Windows' built-in System Information utility or by accessing the Device Manager to view the data on each hardware item. There are also many tools designed for this particular task and you will find that most of them are differentiated only by price or detail level. If you're on the lookout for such an application that provides essential info at the lowest cost possible, Flitskikker InfoTool can do the job. It is free, easy to install and use and will gather and display all the important details you require, with a couple of interesting features as a bonus.

The interface of the software is somewhat enjoyable, with nice, clearly defined buttons for each function making the operation quite effortless. The app is also skinnable and supports several levels of transparency that will make it more visually appealing. The information about your system is collected when the program starts and it is displayed in the main window of the utility. The details are neatly structured and related to the main characteristics of the hardware devices along with the operating system and installed DirectX versions. You will find the basic data concerning the motherboard, CPU, memory, hard disk, sound and graphics cards, display, network card, mouse and keyboard.

The content shown in the main tab of Flitskikker InfoTool cannot be copied like you would do with a text document, instead you have to press the ''Generate Information'' and all the data can be selected and saved with great ease. One of the most interesting features of this tool is the ability to show the component details in the so-called Bulletin Board Code or BB Code used in many forums and message boards. If you were to manually write the summary using this special formatting, you would lose a few good minutes or even hours if you're not familiar with the particular tags involved. Instead, this utility will do the job for you in an instant.

There's another nice idea featured in this piece of software that will probably grow in time with the following versions: the Upgrade Advisor. To be more precise, it will give you some helpful recommendations for system upgrades on the spot. The module will take the current system configuration and evaluate how it will perform when a certain game is played, then it will generate advice for improving the gaming experience. For instance, Flitskikker InfoTool will let you know whether your video memory is too low or whether you need a superior processor clock speed to engage in a nice GTA IV session. The level of detail is pretty decent, as it goes as far as the display refresh rate that would be ideal for a specific application.

As a whole, this tool is rather useful, as it offers most of the pieces of information you will need on your system in a summarized form and also brings forth two handy functions for many users. What's more, the multilingual dimension of this utility can be expanded if you just add a new language. How can one do that? You'll be surprised to see how easy that is. First, you have to navigate to the folder where the application is installed and open the "langs" folder. Inside, you'll find a little piece of software called FPL Editor that is designed to help you make your own translation of Flitskikker InfoTool. This task is uncomplicated and even pleasant, as you only need to translate 357 items and you'll get a personalized version of this app in your native language.

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