System Information is more than just a display tool. See how you can use it to troubleshoot configuration problems in Windows 10.
The System Information tool in Windows 10 displays configuration details about your computer, including information about the main components, hardware resources, and system software. While being able to see all this information is a nice way find out specific information about your system, it can also help you troubleshoot problems related to your system configuration.
More specifically, you can use it to create what I call configuration data sets you can use to compare past and present configurations. Basically, you create a configuration data set when your system is functioning normally. Then, if your system begins to behave oddly, you can compare the current configuration data set with the one you created earlier and see what has changed.
In this article, I’ll show you how to use System Information to create and use configuration data sets as a troubleshooting tool by comparing past and present configurations.
Launching System Information is easy. To do so, press the Windows key and type System Information. When you see see the desktop app icon in the results pane, shown in Figure A, just click it.
Each time you launch System Information, it examines your system and displays detailed configuration information about your computer, as shown in Figure B. To display all that data, System Information employs an expandable tree structure to break down system configuration information into four categories:
If you know what you’re looking for but aren’t sure of its location, you can use the Find What feature at the bottom of the System Information screen. If you don’t see it, just press Ctrl+F or pull down the Edit menu and select the Hide Find command to remove the check mark.
When you use the Find What feature, shown in Figure C, you can search through the configuration data in three ways: You can search the entire tree, you can select the Search Selected Category Only checkbox, or you can select the Search Category Names Only checkbox.
Once you have System Information up and running, creating a configuration data set is easy. Just press Ctrl+S or pull down the File menu, select the Save command, and save your configuration data set as a System Information File (.NFO file). Be sure that you append the date to the end of the filename. For example, you might use the filename System Information 07-17-17.nfo, as shown in Figure D.
Once you’ve created a System Information File, you can use System Information to compare the past and present configurations. To do so, launch two instances of System Information and then load the System Information File in one instance by choosing Open from the File menu and locating the configuration data set you created earlier.
Position the windows as shown in Figure E and then scan for differences between the current configuration and your old configuration in the file. You can tell the two windows apart because one shows your file at the top of the tree.
Do you use System Information as a troubleshooting tool? Share your experiences and advice with fellow TechRepublic members.
My first computer was a Kaypro 16 \"luggable\" running MS-DOS 2.11 which I obtained while studying computer science in 1986. After two years, I discovered that I had a knack for writing documentation and shifted my focus over to technical writing.
