Lab 6 · Computer Hardware Identification and OS Settings Lab

🎯 Objective

Connect the CPU/RAM/storage theory to your actual machine and leave it better configured than you found it.

🧩 Skills You Will Practice

• Reading device specifications
• Task Manager / Activity Monitor
• OS update and storage settings
• Startup and permission hygiene

🧰 What You Need

• Your own laptop or phone
• Settings app and Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (Mac) or About Phone (Android)
• A notes table with 3 columns: Part, My device, What it does

📋 Step-by-Step Tasks

1. Find and record your exact CPU model, RAM size, storage size and type (SSD/HDD), and OS name and version. Screenshot or copy them from Settings / About — do not guess.
2. Fill the kitchen analogy for your device: name your chef (CPU), counter (RAM) and fridge (storage) with their real specs in one sentence each.
3. Open Task Manager / Activity Monitor. Record the top process by CPU and by memory, total running processes, and current RAM usage percentage. Explain in one line what each top process is.
4. Check OS updates: note whether you are up to date. If an update is pending, note its name — installing it is optional during the lab, deciding consciously is the skill.
5. Audit storage: find your three largest folders or apps, total free space, and one safe cleanup action (clear cache, remove a duplicate). Do not delete anything you cannot identify.
6. Review startup apps and app permissions: list apps that launch at startup and camera/microphone permissions on your phone. Disable one startup app you do not need and note the change.
7. Write a buy/advice paragraph: based on your specs, what is the single best upgrade or setting change for this device, and why?

✅ Expected Result / Deliverable

A completed spec-and-audit table for your real device, a top-process report, an update/storage/startup review, and one justified upgrade recommendation.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• Confusing RAM with storage in the spec table
• Deleting unknown system files during cleanup
• Recording specs from memory instead of the device itself