🆕 Update: Cross-Platform Support — v2.0

📝 What Changed

The Laptop Inspector has been upgraded from a Windows-only tool to a cross-platform diagnostic solution that now runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS using PowerShell Core.

✨ Major Updates

🔄 PowerShell Core Migration

• Before: Windows PowerShell 5.1 (Windows only)
• After: PowerShell Core 7.0+ (Windows, Linux, macOS)
• All platform-specific code has been refactored for cross-platform compatibility
• Uses built-in variables: $IsWindows, $IsLinux, $IsMacOS for OS detection

🐧 Linux Support

• Full hardware diagnostics on Linux systems
• Detects CPU, RAM, GPU, storage, and network configurations
• Automatic platform-aware system calls
• Works with all major Linux distributions

🍎 macOS Support

• Comprehensive hardware audits on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs
• Leverages native macOS command-line tools
• Same feature set as Windows and Linux versions

🛠️ Technical Improvements

• Enhanced error handling for cross-platform execution
• Platform-aware command compatibility
• Graceful fallback for platform-specific checks
• Improved exception handling for missing tools

🚀 How to Run on Linux

Step 1: Install PowerShell Core

For linux devices install this tool for better results

`sudo apt install smartmontools upower pciutils lshw mokutil`

Ubuntu/Debian:

# Add Microsoft repository
wget https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/$(lsb_release -rs)/packages-microsoft-prod.deb
sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb
sudo apt-get update

# Install PowerShell
sudo apt-get install -y powershell

Fedora/RHEL/CentOS:

sudo rpm --import https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc
sudo dnf install -y powershell

Alpine:

apk add --no-cache powershell

Verify installation:

pwsh --version

Step 2: Download the Script

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bradleymaina/hwcheck.git
cd hwcheck

# Or download directly
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bradleymaina/hwcheck/main/LaptopInspector_v2.ps1

Step 3: Run the Diagnostic

Basic scan:

pwsh -File ./LaptopInspector_v2.ps1

With elevated privileges (for complete hardware info):

sudo pwsh -File ./LaptopInspector_v2.ps1

Custom output directory:

pwsh -File ./LaptopInspector_v2.ps1 -OutputDir ./my-reports

Generate CSV for tracking:

pwsh -File ./LaptopInspector_v2.ps1 -Csv

Generate JSON for automation:

pwsh -File ./LaptopInspector_v2.ps1 -Json

All formats:

pwsh -File ./LaptopInspector_v2.ps1 -Csv -Json

📊 Output Format

Reports are automatically generated in ./Reports/ directory:

./Reports/
├── inspection_2026-04-27.txt      # Plain text (archival)
├── inspection_2026-04-27.html     # Beautiful HTML (browser-friendly)
├── inspection_2026-04-27.json     # JSON (automation-friendly)
└── inspection_history.csv         # CSV history (for tracking)

🔧 Linux Troubleshooting

🎯 Requirements by Platform

Windows

• PowerShell 5.1+ (pre-installed) or PowerShell Core 7.0+ (recommended)
• Administrator privileges for full diagnostics

Linux

• PowerShell Core 7.0+
• sudo access for hardware information
• Standard tools: lscpu, free, lsblk, uname, ip

macOS

• PowerShell Core 7.0+
• Standard macOS command-line tools

📦 Key Features (Cross-Platform)

✅ CPU, RAM, GPU detection
✅ Storage diagnostics (SSD/HDD detection)
✅ Battery health analysis (Windows/Linux)
✅ Network adapter detection
✅ Security status checks
✅ Performance metrics
✅ Multi-format reports (TXT, HTML, CSV, JSON)
✅ Automatic OS detection
✅ Portable — no installation required

🔄 Breaking Changes

• Windows PowerShell 5.1 Support: Still works, but PowerShell Core 7.0+ is recommended
• Script filename: Changed from LaptopInspector.bat to LaptopInspector_v2.ps1 for clarity
• Parameter handling: Now uses -File parameter with PowerShell directly

🚀 Next Steps

1. Install PowerShell Core on your Linux system
2. Download LaptopInspector_v2.ps1
3. Run the script: pwsh -File ./LaptopInspector_v2.ps1
4. Check reports in ./Reports/ directory

📝 Files Included

• LaptopInspector_v2.ps1 — Main cross-platform diagnostic script
• LaptopInspector.bat — Windows wrapper (legacy)
• README.md — Full project documentation
• LICENSE — MIT License
• Commit_README.md — This changelog

🔗 References

• PowerShell Core Documentation
• Install PowerShell on Linux
• Project Repository

Version: 2.0
Date: April 2026
Compatibility: Windows 10+ | Ubuntu/Debian | Fedora/RHEL | Alpine | macOS