How to Find an Asset ID Number

An asset is anything that has a dollar or financial value. Whether you own hardware as a part of a business or for personal use, tracking and identifying these assets is very important. Most hardware manufacturers add identification numbers to hardware, called serial numbers, but the "asset ID" is a common term used by businesses. You may need to know these numbers when you call technical support for help or when you need to account for assets in a business. The placement of these numbers varies, but you can use a few techniques to ferret out the location.

Open a proprietary, preinstalled asset ID program if you are using a computing device such as a PDA, smartphone or PC. As an example, Hewlett-Packard installs the "HP Asset Viewer" on its HP iPAQ Data Messenger device. Clicking on the "Identity" tab shows the serial number and user information. Read the device's user manual or contact technical support to determine if such a program is installed and learn how to use it.

Look on the external casing or body of the hardware device for the ID number. Most manufacturers place a sticker label bearing the asset ID or serial number on the side, back or underside of the device. Some manufacturers, such as Dell, opt to create an ID card that slides in and out of a slot on the back of the hardware device. The label will also include brand and model number information.

Use a third-party software program that creates a detailed profile of all the hardware on a computer. One such program is Belarc Advisor, which detects all hardware and software on a PC. It uses the Internet browser as an interface to show hardware serial number information. Visit the Belarc website to download the program.