CPU info...

I've read multiple posts on getting Generic CPU information by API calls. I was currious wether there was a way to find the CPU Family, Model, Stepping, Type information instead for identifying the CPU installed in the system. If VB only supports using the Generic API call, that kinda sux. ;) I want to use this information for use in an About Box for a program I'm working on.

Also, when using the 16-bit API call to retrieve Total Physical Memory in a 16-bit app, it looks like when the program is run under WinNT 4.0, it reports total VDM memory and it changes quite often, is this true? I've seen it report anywhere from 45MB to 65MB by open and closing apps...the system I'm using is a 64MB machine.

Ben Hannon
Williamsport, PA

All that info on the CPU in the registry. I'd post the key it's in but this is a computer on the university network and regedit is disabled.

the best way to make is to use the Form- Template from VB
it's at ..\microsoft visual studio\vb98\template\forms\Info-***.frm

The standard info form template and its link to msinfo is OK. But how do you get the Serial Nr. of the CPU itself? Say, if you want the program run only on a given computer and compile it so that it will check the cpu nr, HD serial nr to confirm?

This will get the serial number of a certain drive.

Code:

---

Private Declare Function GetVolumeInformation Lib _
"kernel32.dll" Alias "GetVolumeInformationA" (ByVal _
lpRootPathName As String, ByVal lpVolumeNameBuffer As _
String, ByVal nVolumeNameSize As Integer, _
lpVolumeSerialNumber As Long, lpMaximumComponentLength _
As Long, lpFileSystemFlags As Long, ByVal _
lpFileSystemNameBuffer As String, ByVal _
nFileSystemNameSize As Long) As Long             
Code
Function GetSerialNumber(strDrive As String) As Long
    Dim SerialNum As Long
    Dim Res As Long
    Dim Temp1 As String
    Dim Temp2 As String
    Temp1 = String$(255, Chr$(0))
    Temp2 = String$(255, Chr$(0))
    Res = GetVolumeInformation(strDrive, Temp1, _
    Len(Temp1), SerialNum, 0, 0, Temp2, Len(Temp2))
    GetSerialNumber = SerialNum
End Function

Usage:

Call MsgBox GetSerialNumber("C:\")

---

Using the serial number of the Drive is useless.

You can do a full disk copy and the stupid thing will copy the serial number across as well... Don't ask me why but try doing a disk copy of a floppy and look at the identical serial number.

It may have changed in recent releases of the OS but that was a bugbear I had way back when.

As for the CPU serial number I would LOVE to know how to get that!!!!!

Any takers?!?!?!

I'm not sure where but a few weeks ago someone posted on how to get the cpu serial through the BOIS but I'm not sure what the post ID is, you'll have to search for it

Here is the link to Accessing the BIOS which dimava is talking about.

Thanks Matthew, that is more than sufficient. :)