Having problems with your Windows 7? It will be a surprise if you don’t have a problem. How many times, for example, a problem with your network settings has stopped your internet connection? It’s something so common that we have already memorized the system restoration steps by heart, or worst still, reinstall the whole OS.
Fortunately, Microsoft seems to know that their users will face nasty problems, that’s why they have also included several diagnostic tools in the OS to help you troubleshoot your problems when they arise.
Here’s are three tools that you will find handy when you need to troubleshoot your computer.
Note: The order is not arbitrary and it’s a very good approach to use these utilities in order.
1. Action Center Troubleshooting
The Action Center is a useful resource center for finding out the problem you are solving, and sometimes, the solution to the problem.
In your WIndows 7 system tray, click on the flag in the bottom right.
Windows will open a window with a link to open “Action Center“.
Action Center merges messages from different sources, including security and maintenance issues. Any message that appears in Action Center gives you a way to solve the problem.
If your problem is not related in that list, select “Troubleshooting“.
Here you can find solution for compatibility issues, hardware related, network, Aero and System and Security.
Note: Whenever Microsoft finds a problem that can be solved automatically, it will create new packages to automate the process. Thus, it’s very important that you check the box “Get the most up-to-date troubleshooters from Windows Online Troubleshooting service” to use the most up-to-date troubleshooters.
Select the wizard related with your problem, in my case, I have a performance issue so I click on that,
and it starts to troubleshoot the problem.
Click on the “Start System Configuration”
Once the program ends, you can check for more detailed information:
When it is done, it will generate a report with the issues that were checked.
2. Reliability Monitor
The Reliability Monitor provides a system stability overview and details about events that impact reliability. It calculates the Stability Index shown in the System Stability Chart over the lifetime of the system.
To start the Reliability Monitor, go to the Start menu and type “permon /rel” in the search field.
The program will show you a report with the history. In the image below, you can easily see that Window was not properly shut down.
You can also view all problem reports.
With this utility, you can easily find out the source of your problems.
You can also click on the “check for solutions to all problems…” link to get Windows to solve the issue for you.
3. Problem Step Recorder
If automatic fixes don’t work for your system, maybe it is time to get a friend to help. The problem with having to describe an issue to other person is that it is very hard to explain exactly what it’s happening with your computer. So, why not take screenshots of your problem and show it to your friend?
The Problem Step Recorder is one such tool that you can use.
We have previously covered Problem Step Recorder in great detail, feel free to check it out for the usage instruction.
Conclusions
It is great to see Microsoft includes such troubleshooting tools in the OS. Even though they don’t reduce the number of problems that might arise, it can definitely be useful when one need a quick solution to get things working again.
How do you fix your Windows when problems arise?