The latest articles on DEV Community by John Stevens (@john_stevens_713f67fb53ee). https://dev.to/john_stevens_713f67fb53ee https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3695066%2Fb05b5d8b-f0bd-47dc-bc8e-62401c87aead.jpg https://dev.to/john_stevens_713f67fb53ee en John Stevens Mon, 05 Jan 2026 21:13:18 +0000 https://dev.to/john_stevens_713f67fb53ee/i-built-a-free-system-diagnostic-tool-for-gamers-heres-why-30pp https://dev.to/john_stevens_713f67fb53ee/i-built-a-free-system-diagnostic-tool-for-gamers-heres-why-30pp <h2> The Problem </h2> <p>If you've ever done tech support for gamers, you know the pain:</p> <ul> <li>"What GPU do you have?" <em>"Uhh... a good one?"</em> </li> <li>"What driver version?" <em>"How do I check that?"</em> </li> <li>"Do you have DirectX 12?" <em>"I think so?"</em> </li> </ul> <p>Getting basic system info from users is like pulling teeth. And when you're troubleshooting crashes, you need to know about overlays, security settings, missing runtimes — stuff that's scattered across 10 different Windows menus.</p> <h2> The Solution </h2> <p>I built <strong>SecureCheats System Checker</strong> — a free, portable tool that grabs everything in one click.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fe4mqpjen71ilka688h69.JPG" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fe4mqpjen71ilka688h69.JPG" alt=" " width="800" height="724"></a></p> <p>No install. Run as admin, hit scan, done. You get a clean report covering:</p> <p><strong>Hardware</strong></p> <ul> <li>Motherboard, BIOS, CPU, GPU, RAM</li> </ul> <p><strong>Drivers</strong></p> <ul> <li>GPU driver version and install date</li> </ul> <p><strong>Security</strong></p> <ul> <li>Secure Boot, TPM, BitLocker, Virtualization, Firewall status</li> </ul> <p><strong>Gaming Essentials</strong></p> <ul> <li>DirectX versions (9, 10, 11, 12)</li> <li>Visual C++ Redistributables (2005-2022)</li> <li>Overlay detection (Discord, Steam, NVIDIA, Xbox Game Bar, OBS, MSI Afterburner)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Antivirus</strong></p> <ul> <li>Windows Defender status and third-party AV detection</li> </ul> <h2> Why These Specific Checks? </h2> <p>Every check exists because of a real support issue:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>DirectX/C++ Runtimes</strong> → Half of "game won't launch" issues</li> <li> <strong>GPU driver date</strong> → Outdated drivers cause crashes and performance problems</li> <li> <strong>Overlays</strong> → Discord and Game Bar overlays conflict with anti-cheat and cause FPS drops</li> <li> <strong>Secure Boot/TPM</strong> → Required for Windows 11 and some games</li> <li> <strong>Virtualization</strong> → Needed for emulators and dev tools, but can conflict with some anti-cheat</li> </ul> <h2> How It Works </h2> <p>The tool uses Windows APIs and WMI queries to pull system data. Nothing fancy — just consolidated into one clean output.</p> <p>Users can copy the report to clipboard or export it. Makes sharing specs in Discord or support tickets dead simple.</p> <h2> Try It </h2> <p>It's free and open source.</p> <p>🔗 <strong>Download:</strong> <a href="https://securecheats.com/system-checker/" rel="noopener noreferrer">securecheats.com/system-checker</a><br> 🔗 <strong>GitHub:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/SecureCheats/system-checker" rel="noopener noreferrer">github.com/SecureCheats/system-checker</a></p> <p>Would love feedback from the dev community. What other checks would be useful? Drop a comment below.</p> windows gaming opensource productivity