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MSInfo: the Tried and True of Troubleshooting Tools |
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One of the most informative and under used Windows troubleshooting utilities is the Microsoft System Information (msinfo) utility. This particular report is a text-based snapshot of not only hardware, but also all of the Windows operating system installed applications. This utility has been a part of the Windows operating systems since “Windows 3.1 for Workgroups,” for those of you old enough to remember. It is still available in the most currently used workstations (Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7) and server operating systems (Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008).
For troubleshooting hardware-related issues, this report is beneficial for two reasons. First, it gives a detailed description of the basic hardware installed on the computer or server that the report was generated from. It also contains driver information and interrupt request assignments (IRQs) for the installed hardware. By generating and reviewing this report, you can easily see if the driver is outdated, not installed, or if the device is stacked on the same IRQ with too many other devices. This saves time and money by not having to contact the vendor and request assistance with troubleshooting.
On the software side of the report, it provides helpful information such as Running Tasks, Services, Program Groups, and Startup Applications. Granted all of this information can be obtained though other means, but they can only be generated individually by running Task Manager, services.msc, and msconfig (Microsoft Configuration Utility). This way it is an easily listed view in one window.
In some instances a support representative will not have the ability to connect remotely into a computer or workstation to assist with troubleshooting because of security settings or bandwidth issues. However, the msinfo report can be obtained through email so that both parties can refer to gain perspective on the computer and/or server in question. This report can be intimidating at first because of its extensive information, but once you familiarize yourself with the information, it will reduce the number of questions you have to ask the end user and require less communication to the vendor’s support team.
If you find yourself with a little spare time, type in the run command field msinfo32 and open yourself up to an old school and very informative way of troubleshooting.
James Hudson, Support Engineer
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