Event Log/Viewer

I haven't used this tool as much as I should have. Hopefully this information will benefit you much more than it has me...

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In Windows XP...The Event Log Service records application, security, and system events in Event Viewer...Event logs can help you identify and diagnose the source of current system problems, or help you predict potential system problems.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427

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Dr. Watson, the system failure or "crash" analysis tool, has been replaced with Problem Reports and Solutions.

When some hardware or software problems occur on your computer—for example, if a program stops working or stops responding— Windows creates a problem report so you can check for a solution...

To check for solutions to problems using Control Panel
1. click the Start button , click Control Panel, click System and Maintenance, and then click Problem Reports and Solutions.

2. Click Check for new solutions.

Windows will notify you if there are any steps you can take to solve problems on your computer.

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/743033cd-a522-4e37-8312-7d606c2737eb1033.mspx

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Event Viewer tracks information in several different logs. Windows Logs include:

• Application (program) events. Events are classified as error, warning, or information, depending on the severity of the event. An error is a significant problem, such as loss of data. A warning is an event that is not necessarily significant, but might indicate a possible future problem. An information event describes the successful operation of a program, driver, or service.

• Security-related events. These events are called audits and are described as successful or failed, depending on the event, such as whether a user trying to log on to Windows was successful.

• Setup events. Computers that are configured as domain controllers will have additional logs displayed here.

• System events. System events are logged by Windows and Windows system services, and are classified as error, warning, or information.

1. Open Event Viewer by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, clicking Administrative Tools, and then double-clicking Event Viewer.? If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

2. Click an event log in the left pane.

3. Double-click an event to view the details of the event.

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/1bcadb98-7479-4fad-82dd-7f30a80dfa4f1033.mspx

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Event Viewer is an advanced tool that displays detailed information about significant events on your computer. It can be helpful when troubleshooting problems and errors with Windows and other programs.

Open Event Viewer by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, clicking Administrative Tools, and then double-clicking Event Viewer.

Here's another way to open Event Viewer: Click the Start button . In the Search box, type Event Viewer, and then, in the list of results, double-click Event Viewer.

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/a99f69c1-935f-4116-ba5f-33d8800ef9da1033.mspx

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The Event Viewer

You can start Event Viewer by adding the snap-in to MMC, or by double-clicking the snap-in file, Eventvwr.msc, which is located in the %SYSTEMROOT%\system32 folder.

In addition, Event Viewer can be started from the Windows interface or the command line by using the following procedures.

To start Event Viewer by using the Windows interface
1. Click the Start button.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Click System and Maintenance.
4. Click Administrative Tools.
5. Double-click Event Viewer.

To start Event Viewer by using a command line
1. Open a command prompt. To open a command prompt, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories and then click Command Prompt.
2. Type eventvwr.

To display additional help for the eventvwr command-line tool, type the following command at a command prompt: eventvwr /?

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/WindowsVista/library/ops/a37fd11e-597a-4d44-9507-a88e937bda50.mspx?mfr=true