You may be wondering why I’d post a how-to on something that seems so basic about what version do I have. Well, despite the fact that it’s extremely simple to do, many people don’t know how to look up the version number of the operating system or program they’re running!
I have no evidence of why this is, but here’s a couple of theories. One, since a large portion of computer users run automatic updates and mass install every new version of their operating systems and individual software programs, they become lost in the constant stream of numbers and decimals.
What Version Do I Have?
They trust that the manufacturer is going to update a piece of software for a good reason (i.e.: a security patch) every time, and would never suspect an update to be harmful, or useless (i.e.: bloatware). Second, there’s not a whole lot of instruction for checking the version after an update you can know about what version do I have, and against common sense, the version number is rarely displayed in an easy to see area such as the title bar, menu bar, etc.
In consideration of our actual purpose here at Not Responding, it seems appropriate to post simple instructions on determining what version of a program you are running:
OS (Windows 2000/XP/Vista):
- Step 1) Click on the Start Menu on the taskbar.
- Step 2) Click the “Run…” application.
- Step 3) Type in “winter” (no quotes) and hit OK.
- Step 4) Learn all about your Windows version, in addition to other interesting and useful facts about your computer’s system and hardware!
Alternative:
- Step 1) Right-click on the “My Computer” icon (Sometimes in the Start Menu)
- Step 2) Click “Properties”
- Step 3) Learn all about your Windows version, in addition to other interesting and useful facts about your computer’s system and hardware!
Software Application:
- Step 1) Run the application you want to learn about
- step 2) On the far right of the Menubar of the program (File, Edit, etc.) you will see “Help”. Click it.
- Step 3) Click the option that says “About (software’s name)”
- Step 4) Learn what version you are using, so you can update or downgrade to the most appropriate one.
Bonus Tip:
If you want to know what version do I have of Adobe Flash Player you are running (Since it often runs supplementary to other software) either right-click on something running the player and clicking “About Adobe Flash Player”, OR going to this link.
Hope this helps!