> I need to detect  the list  of available hardware  on a local  pc using
> java ; any help  is appreciated

Read the Java API. Your best bet is to use C/C++, but even then its
platform dependant code which you must you.

If you need to detect hardware, linux is the easiest. Just look at the
/dev and /proc filesystems. I wouldnt know how to do that in Windows
without using the registry to detect loaded modules.

Perhaps you can write a signed Java program that can read the registry
using your own routines.