System Information

System Information

Description of My Computer Information Tool in Help and Support

In Windows XP, Help and Support includes the My Computer Information tool. This article describes the My Computer Information tool in Help and Support.

You can use the My Computer Information tool to view information about the hardware, software, and settings that are used on your computer.

You can start the My Computer Information tool by using the following steps:

1. Click Start, and then click "Help and Support".
2. On the right side of the "Help and Support" home page, click "Use Tools to view your computer information and diagnose
problems".
3. Click My Computer Information in the tools list on the left side of the next page.

The following options are available when you use the My Computer Information tool:

"View general system information about this computer"
"View the status of my system hardware and software"
"Find information about the hardware installed on this computer"
"View a list of Microsoft software installed on this computer"
"View Advanced System Information"
"View detailed system information (Msinfo32.exe)"
"View running services"
"View Group Policy settings applied"
"View the error log"
"View information for another computer"

"Help and Support " Does Not Collect All Hardware Information

To work around this issue, use either of the following methods to view information about the installed hardware.

Use Device Manager

1. Click Start, and then click "Control Panel".
2. If Control Panel starts in Category view, click "Performance and Maintenance", and then click System. If Control Panel is
in Classic view, double-click System.
3. Click System, and then click the Hardware tab.
4. Click "Device Manager".

NOTE: Click "Show Hidden Devices" on the View menu to see non-Plug and Play devices.

Use Msinfo32.exe

1. In Help and Support Center, click "Use Tools" to view your computer information and diagnose problems in the Pick a
Task list.
2. Click "Advanced System Information" in the Tools list.
3. Click "View detailed system information (Msinfo32.exe)" (on the right side of the screen).
4. Click the plus sign (+) next to Components to view the hardware details.

Or, you can use the following steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type "msinfo32.exe" (without the quotation marks), and then click OK.
3. Click the plus sign (+) next to Components to view the hardware details.

Description of Windows XP System Information (Msinfo32.exe) Tool

This section describes the System Information tool (Msinfo32.exe) that is included with Windows XP. You can use this tool to gather information about your computer, to diagnose issues with your computer, or to access other tools that are included with Windows XP.

System Information collects system information, such as devices that are installed in your computer, or device drivers that are loaded in your computer, and provides a menu for displaying the associated system topics. You can use System Information to diagnose computer issues. For example, if you are having display issues, you can use System Information to determine what display adapter is installed on your computer, and to view the status of its drivers.

System Information maintains a history of device drivers that are installed on your computer. If you are unsure of a computer's recent history, you can use System Information to better understand what has happened in the past. If a device does not work correctly, and its history indicates a recent upgrade to a new driver, replace that driver with the original driver, and test to see if doing so resolves the issue.

System Information also provides access to tools you can use for troubleshooting your computer.

If you install an update from the Windows Update Web site, and it fails to meet your expectations, restore the original files by running the Update Wizard Uninstall from the Tools menu in the System Information tool. If your computer worked fine yesterday, but is not working properly today, try restoring yesterday's configuration files by running the System Restore utility from the Tools menu in the System Information tool.

To start Microsoft System Information, use either of the following methods:

- Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.

- Click Start, click Run, type "msinfo32.exe" (without the quotation marks) in the Open box, and then click OK.

How to Use System Information (MSINFO32) Switches

MSINFO32 displays a comprehensive view of your hardware, system components, and software environment. This article provides an overview of the available switches that can be used with the MSINFO32 command.

Using these switches, MSINFO32 can be used to:

- Use System Information from a batch file
- Create .nfo or .txt files that contain information from specified categories.
- Open System Information and display only specific categories.
- Save a file silently (without opening System Information).
- Start System Information connected to a remote computer.
- Create a shortcut that opens System Information in a commonly used configuration.