Windows Vista includes several different
tools to assist you in diagnosing the source of hardware problems. The
following sections describe the most important tools.
1. How to Use Problem Reports and Solutions
With Problem Reports And Solutions, shown in Figure 1, you can track diagnostic results and errors.
To
open Problem Reports And Solutions, click Start, click All Programs,
click Maintenance, and then click Problem Reports And Solutions. You
can then click View Details to view information about any particular
problem or result.
To determine whether
Microsoft has identified a solution to the problem, select the
problem’s check box, and then click Check For Solutions. Problem
Reports And Solutions will contact Microsoft servers, submit the error
report, and look for a matching solution. Often, there may be no
solution for your problem. However, submitting the error report can
help Microsoft solve the problem in the future. Microsoft prioritizes
problems based on their frequency, so submitting error reports
increases the chances that the problem will be fixed.
2. How to Use Reliability Monitor
To view Reliability Monitor, follow these steps:
1. | Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Manage.
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2. | Expand Reliability And Performance, expand Monitoring Tools, and then click Reliability Monitor.
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The
System Stability Chart provides a day-by-day report of any problems or
significant changes. To view events that occurred on a specific day,
click the day in the System Stability Chart, and then view the System
Stability Report for detailed information. You can also click the
drop-down list in the upper-right corner, and then click Select All to
view a report that contains all events that Windows Vista has recorded.
3. How to Use Event Viewer
Event
Viewer provides a central location for operating system and application
event logging. On most computers, Event Viewer contains thousands of
events, generated by Windows, drivers, and applications. Most of these
events can be safely ignored. However, when troubleshooting problems,
you should examine the Event Log to find events that might be related
to your problem. It is entirely possible that no events will be related
to your problem, however, because not all problems may initiate an
event.
To open Event Viewer and view hardware-related events, follow these steps:
1. | Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Manage.
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2. | Under System Tools, expand Event Viewer.
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3. | Under Event Viewer, expand Windows Logs. Then click System.
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4. | In the Actions pane, click Filter Current Log.
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5. | In the Filter Current Log dialog box, select the Critical, Warning, and Error check boxes. Click OK.
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Browse
through the displayed events. Most of the events will not be related to
your problem, but it is important to evaluate each event to determine
any potential impact. In particular, pay close attention to events with
a Source of ACPI or PlugPlayManager, or another Source related to the
hardware component that is experiencing problems.