ASTRA32 vs hw-probe

ASTRA32 provides system configuration information and computer diagnostics for Windows PCs. It identifies hardware including processors, motherboards, BIOS, chipsets, memory, storage, graphics, audio, network, USB, SCSI, and other devices. Its Drivers Troubleshooter lists physical devices with missing or improperly installed drivers. For storage, it reads hard-drive S.M.A.R.T. information, including from drives attached through external UDMA, SATA, or RAID controllers, and calculates remaining SSD life. It can also report on Windows, installed programs, and hotfixes. Reports can be saved as TXT, INI, HTML, XML, or CSV. Batch mode supports report profiles and macros, and a standalone version can run without installation. ASTRA32 reports can be imported into Hardware Inspector inventory management software. The maker identifies PC repair technicians and system administrators as potential users. The program is free for non-commercial purposes. The listed Windows range runs from Windows 95/98/ME through Windows 11 x64, and a DOS version is also available.

hw-probe is a free hardware probing tool for Linux and BSD systems, aimed at debugging computer problems and managing hardware inventory. It captures a snapshot of hardware state and logs, then provides a permanent URL to view the probe. If a device lacks a driver, it can suggest a Linux kernel version or third-party driver using LKDDb data. Users can create an inventory ID and mark probes to locate their computers on Linux-Hardware.org. Its monitoring command schedules a daily cron probe and emails alerts about operating-system failures, configuration changes, and hardware degradation. Optional tests check graphics, drive read speed, CPU performance, and RAM. Installation options include AppImage, Docker, Snap, Flatpak, Live CD/USB, and native packages. Uploads use HTTPS; selected logs can be disabled, and private details are decorated before upload, though edge-case failures are acknowledged. MAC addresses and serial numbers are represented by prefixes of salted SHA-512 hashes. The tool is dual-licensed under LGPL-2.1-or-later and BSD-4-Clause. The Snap package runs in a sandbox with limited functionality.