Resources

Windows Vista comes with a variety of built-in diagnostics tools that you can use to troubleshoot problems. Unfortunately, they’re well hidden and few users are aware of them. Let me share a few that I’ve discovered.

Memory Diagnostics is a built-in tool that will run when your computer is having trouble with the memory. When Windows detects a memory issue, you’ll be prompted to run this test. However, you don’t have to wait for problems to manifest. You can run the Memory Diagnostics tool at any time. Simply go to the Start button, type Memory Diagnostics in the Search bar and follow the prompts.

Another neat tool is the System Health Report. This is part of the Reliability and Performance Monitor. Go to the Control Panel, click on Performance Information and Tools, and then click on Advanced Tools. Here, you’ll see a list of useful options including Generate a System Health Report. The utility then run a series of tests on your computer and compile a detailed report covering just about everything you can imagine. Not only will you be able to diagnose problems, the report will offer suggestions for correcting them or improving overall performance.

Among the test categories in the System Health Report are: operating system checks, disk checks, memory checks, security checks, hardware and device driver checks, system service checks, resource overview, software configuration, hardware configuration, statistics, and more. The system diagnostics report lists all warnings and errors at the top of the report along with their symptoms, cause, details, resolutions, and links for further information.

This tool takes several minutes to run because dozens of tests take place. It’s well worth the time investment though. For example, I just ran the System Health Report and have discovered that several of my devices are either disabled or cannot start including my printer. Likewise, my CPU is overloaded with a CPU load of 92%. The report tells me to investigate top processes. Something, possibly malware, is hogging my computer’s CPU.

The Windows Security Center provides you with a one-stop location for making sure that your operating system is secure. You can access the Security Center via the Control Panel or by typing Security Center into the Search bar. Here you’ll find links to: Windows Update, Windows Firewall, Windows Defender, Internet Options, and Microsoft security and virus information. In addition, you’ll see the current status of security essentials including whether your computer is protected by a firewall, malware, and other settings.

Another useful tool is the System Configuration utility. This isn’t unique to Windows Vista but it’s still invaluable. Here, you can control which programs start up automatically, disable services, and tell the computer to start up in diagnostic mode. In addition, you’ll find shortcuts to even more diagnostic tools.

The next time you need to speak with technical support, be prepared by having detailed information about your computer including your operating system and version, computer manufacturer and model number, BIOS version, processor, boot device, physical and virtual memory, and more. Sound like a lot of work? Don’t worry; it’s easy to find out this information once you know where to look.

Start by going to the Start button, clicking Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Information. This launches a screen that details your computer’s specific configuration. You can also launch System Information by typing msinfo32.exe in the Run box (Start >Run).

The first screen provides a summary of your system with most of the information you’ll be asked to provide. You can print this information out by going to the File menu and choosing Print. You can also highlight the information and click Control + A (to select All), Control + C (to copy) and then paste the information into a document by clicking Control + V (to paste).

While the opening screen provides you with more information than you probably had before, there’s more. In the left pane, you’ll see three categories: Hardware Resources, Components, and Software Environment. You can expand each of these categories to view specific details about your hardware, components, and software.

For example, under Components, you’ll find a listing for “problem devices.” This is useful when you suspect something is wrong with one of your peripherals but aren’t quite sure what. Simply check this listing to see any problem devices that your computer has identified along with related error codes.

Want to know who manufactured your hard disk along with detailed information about partitions, size, cylinders, sectors, tracks, and more? Go to Components, click on Storage, and click on Disks. Allow the system to refresh the display and you’ll see all kinds of details about your hard drive. The Components section also lists information about multimedia codecs, CD-ROM, sound devices, display devices, infrared devices, input devices, modems, network settings, ports, printers, and USB ports.

The Hardware section also provides you with a wealth of information about your computer’s hardware including I/O ports, memory address, and IRQ settings for various devices. While much of this information will be meaningless to you, it could provide clues to technical support personnel trying to troubleshoot your problem.

Want to see all of the system drivers? Go down to the Software Environment section and click on System Drivers. Likewise, you can click on Signed Drivers to see other device drivers from various manufacturers. The Software Environment section also lists environmental variables, print jobs, network connections, running tasks, loaded modules, services, program groups, startup programs, OLE registration, and Windows Error Reporting.  

While you can’t do much within System Information besides view data about your computer and its installed components, this is a one-stop destination when you need system details.

View the whole series of System Tools Articles:

• System Tools: Disk Cleanup
• System Tools: Defragmenter
• System Tools: System Restore
• System Tools: Backup and Restore
• System Tools: System Information
• System Tools: Windows Easy Transfer
• System Tools: Control Panel
• System Tools: Task Scheduler

When troubleshooting computer errors, I will often ask myself, “Did I overlook something?” Sometimes a solution is so obvious that it’s nearly impossible to see. I’m not going to double check the power cord because of course it’s plugged in. I’m smarter than that, right? Recently, minor computer problems struck close to home, clearly illustrating how important it is to consider obvious causes.

First, I have a two-year-old boy in my house. Anyone with a toddler underfoot knows that everything is fair game. A few months ago, about six keys from my daughter’s keyboard had mysteriously disappeared. It doesn’t take an ace detective to figure out who made off with them.

But when my wireless network and Internet access went down last week, the antics of my little guy where a distant memory. I’m a “Tech Jock” by golly and I was on the job. I rebooted my cable modem and wireless router as that often solves these issues. I went into the Networking and Sharing Center and “refreshed” the network. I double checked my network protocol settings. You name it, I did it.

Next, I checked the other computers on the network to see if they were experiencing network connectivity problems. They could connect just fine. Since my other computers could connect, I knew the problem wasn’t with my ISP. Plus, I had Internet access! This meant I could further research my problem. Just as I was getting ready to dig in and figure out my problem, guess who toddled in and plopped himself down in front of my computer?

Was the solution really as obvious as it looked? Yes. My two-year-old son had flipped the wireless access switch (which is conveniently located on the front of my laptop with a pretty orange indicator light) to the “off” position. All I had to do flip the switch back to “on” and I was back in business.

Computers don’t care how young, old, or experienced you are; they affect everyone. Last week, my 70-year-old father had a problem resetting his wireless keyboard after the batteries died. He replaced the batteries but couldn’t re-establish wireless communication. He fiddled a bit before calling tech support. After 45 minutes of checking device drivers and other troubleshooting steps, he finally gave up and called his favorite local computer repair tech.

The tech arrived and spent at least one, if not two, billable hours fiddling with the system, checking settings and drivers, and running diagnostic tests. Finally, he decided to check the obvious: the batteries. Yes. The solution was as obvious as it looked. My father had installed the batteries upside down.

Let my father’s $200 plus computer repair bill be a lesson to you all. Don’t be afraid to check the obvious. In fact, whenever you’re faced with a computer error, check the obvious. Is the computer plugged in? Is the switch in the “on” position? Are the batteries installed correctly? Are the batteries any good? Am I logged on with the correct privileges? Did I recently make a change to the system? Is the printer connected on both ends? Do I have an ink cartridge installed? Is a floppy disk inserted in the drive?

I’m a “Tech Jock” and I overlooked the obvious. Want to know what my father is? He’s a detective! If we can miss these basic clues, so can you. When computer problems strike, start with the obvious. You may just crack the case!