If you’ve bought a laptop or PC online, you may be curious about its year of manufacture; luckily, there are few good ways to find out exactly how old a computer is. By checking the software loaded onto your computer, you can get the lowdown on the unit’s actual age. For example, MS Windows has many different versions - if your computer is running a fairly recent version of this popular operating system, you can use it to look at BIOS information.
Start this process by hitting the Programs button on your computer - then, go into Accessories, followed by System Tools and System Information. By accessing this app, you can grab lots of useful data about your computer’s age. All the information revealed by BIOS will appear in a handy table - scan the list to find the Version/Date setting in the System Summary area. You should see a line of information, including a year - this year will let you know when your computer was built.
Another easy way to find out how long your computer has been in action for is to visit the My Computer tab and then go into the Properties option. This is a great way to see the date your computer was made - all you need to do is subtract that year from the current calendar year to get an accurate assessment of your computer’s true age.
If you’ve bought a Mac computer online, you may need to decode the unit’s serial number to find out how old it is. Certain websites offer free decoder keys you can use to get an answer - by punching in the serial number and hitting enter, you can find out exactly when your Mac was manufactured. Mac serial numbers use a long alpha-numerical code - if you don’t want to try decoder keys online, look at the serial number - the very first number in the code is the last number of the year of manufacture. For example, a code starting with F 5 will indicate a computer built in 2005.
Start this process by hitting the Programs button on your computer - then, go into Accessories, followed by System Tools and System Information. By accessing this app, you can grab lots of useful data about your computer’s age. All the information revealed by BIOS will appear in a handy table - scan the list to find the Version/Date setting in the System Summary area. You should see a line of information, including a year - this year will let you know when your computer was built.
Another easy way to find out how long your computer has been in action for is to visit the My Computer tab and then go into the Properties option. This is a great way to see the date your computer was made - all you need to do is subtract that year from the current calendar year to get an accurate assessment of your computer’s true age.
If you’ve bought a Mac computer online, you may need to decode the unit’s serial number to find out how old it is. Certain websites offer free decoder keys you can use to get an answer - by punching in the serial number and hitting enter, you can find out exactly when your Mac was manufactured. Mac serial numbers use a long alpha-numerical code - if you don’t want to try decoder keys online, look at the serial number - the very first number in the code is the last number of the year of manufacture. For example, a code starting with F 5 will indicate a computer built in 2005.
