Windows 11 is about to add a system configuration advice section

The latest previews of Windows 11 that Microsoft released this week include an improved "About" section in the Settings app, where users can get more information about the hardware inside their computer.

In addition to the "spec cards," Microsoft is developing a dedicated FAQ section to help users better understand how the hardware components they own affect overall performance. Microsoft hasn't announced this new section yet, but you can enable it with a few tricks.

Of course, what Microsoft has to say in this new About section isn’t anything too special for experienced PC users. But those new to the Windows and PC ecosystem will certainly find a lot of useful information. As of now, Microsoft is helping answer the following questions:

• Am I running the latest version of Windows? What is the latest version of Windows?
• How does having 4-8 GB of RAM affect my computer's performance? Can I run modern applications smoothly with this amount of RAM?
• What is a GPU? I don't have a dedicated GPU. How does the lack of a GPU affect gaming and graphics performance?
• Is my GPU enough for high-end gaming and video experience? How can having a dedicated GPU improve my experience and productivity?

Notably, the list of available questions depends on the specific hardware your system has. For example, users with integrated graphics will get questions about the lack of a discrete graphics card. System memory questions and answers also depend on how much RAM your computer has. Interestingly, there’s even a version for people with less than 4GB of RAM. While 4GB is the (official) minimum to run Windows 11, Microsoft has included a version for very low-spec computers.

Overall, Microsoft’s answers to the RAM and GPU questions are pretty accurate. However, the question about the latest version of Windows is a little odd. Microsoft just says that Windows 11 is the latest release, without mentioning specific versions like 24H2 or 23H2. While Windows 11 is generally the latest version of Windows, individual releases have their own lifecycles (18 months from release for the average customer). It would be nice if Microsoft mentioned that in the new FAQ.

If you want to try out the updated "About" page in the Settings app, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you are using build 26120.3576 or 22635.5090 .
2. Download ViveTool from GitHub and unzip the files into a convenient and easy to find folder.
3. Run Command Prompt with Administrator rights .
4. Navigate to the folder containing the ViveTool files using the CD command . For example, if you placed ViveTool in C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive .
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:55305888 and press Enter .
6. Restart your computer.

What do you think about these updates? Leave a comment below!