Windows Event Viewer
Windows Event Viewer is a little-known tool that can help you
troubleshoot PC problems. It keeps a log of things that happen on your
system. But you will have to do some work to find it.
Now, if you want to know if little Billy has been playing computer
games, you'll have to look elsewhere. Event Viewer just tracks system
events. For example, you'll see entries for when the computer is booted
or shut down.
To locate the Event Viewer, click Start>>Control Panel. Double-click
Administrative Tools and double-click Event Viewer.
In the left side of the window, you'll see three entries: Application,
Security and System. You'll probably be most interested in System
events, or maybe Application events.
To view the events for a specific category, click its name in the left
pane. The events for that category will be listed in the right pane.
The events listed probably won't mean much to you. For example, it will
list names like Information, Error and Warning. It will also list a
source and an event number.
If you double-click an entry in the list, it will give you a little
more information. (You will be most interested in Errors and maybe
Warnings). The Event Properties dialog box will open, providing a
description of the event.
The description may be cryptic. In that case, click the link at the
bottom of the Description section. You will be prompted to send the
information over the Internet. Click Yes. Another window will open,
giving you more information.
Sometimes information can be sparse. In that case, visit the following
site:
Code:
Code:
http://www.eventid.net/search.asp
You'll need to enter the event ID and the event source. It will provide
more information on the problem.
By default, event logs aren't saved for long. You can extend that.
Right-click one of the category names in the left pane. Select
Properties and open the General tab. You can change the size and
specify that events are kept in the log longer than the default seven
days. When you're done, click OK. Do this for each category
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