Here are two easy ways to get to the system properties box:

Press the Windows key and the Pause Break button at the same time. How easy is that?

Or go to Start menu >control panel >system

What is in the system properties box?

1. GENERAL TAB: This shows what version of Windows (Xp Home or Pro etc) you have on your computer, who it is registered to, your CPU speed (eg: 2.2ghz), and how much ram (memory) your computer has.

2. SYSTEM RESTORE: This tab allows you to turn system restore on or off and change settings.

3. COMPUTER NAME: You can view and change your computer name here.

4. AUTOMATIC UPDATES: Change your settings for automatic updates here. Allow them, Schedule them, or turn them off.

5. HARDWARE: Here you can access device manager which is a list of devices connected to your computer. For example: Monitor, cd drives, hard drives, video cards, etc. There are two more buttons which are driver signing and hardware profiles. These are for the advanced user.

6. REMOTE: This is where you enable remote access to your computer. Tick the first box if you want to send out a request for remote help or tick the second box to connect to your computer from another one on your network. For example : I sit in the lounge room on my laptop and I am actually working on my computer in my office.

7. ADVANCED: This tab is for the advanced user. Do not change settings unless you are familiar with these processes.