How To View System Event Log In Windows 7

The Windows Event Viewer shows a log of application and system letters, including errors, information messages, and warnings. It's a useful tool for troubleshooting all kinds of different Windows problems.

Note that even a properly functioning system will show various warnings and errors in the logs yous can comb through with Event Viewer. Scammers even use this fact on occasion to deceive people into believing their system has a problem simply the scammer can fix. In one infamous scam, a person claiming to be from Microsoft phones someone upwards and instructs them to open the Effect Viewer. The person is sure to see mistake messages here, and the scammer will ask for the person'due south credit card number to fix them.

Every bit a rule of pollex, assuming your PC is working properly, you can pretty much ignore the errors and warnings that appear in the Event Viewer. That said, it'due south worth having a bones working knowledge of the tool, and knowing when information technology can be useful to you.

Launching the Event Viewer

To launch the Upshot Viewer, merely hit Offset, type "Consequence Viewer" into the search box, and so click the result.

Events are placed in different categories, each of which is related to a log that Windows keeps on events regarding that category. While at that place are a lot of categories, the vast amount of troubleshooting you lot might want to do pertains to iii of them:

Application: The Awarding log records events related to Windows system components, such equally drivers and built-in interface elements.
Arrangement: The Organisation log records events related to programs installed on the organization.
Security: When security logging is enabled (information technology'due south off past default in Windows), this log records events related to security, such every bit logon attempts and resource access.

Don't Panic!

Yous're sure to run across some errors and warnings in Result Viewer, even if your calculator is working fine.

The Result Viewer is designed to help system administrators keep tabs on their computers and troubleshoot problems. If there isn't a trouble with your computer, the errors in here are unlikely to be important. For case, you'll oftentimes see errors that indicate a programme crashed at a specific time—which may take been weeks ago—or that a service failed to start with Windows, but was likely started on a subsequent attempt.

In the prototype below, for example, y'all can run across that an mistake was generated when the Steam Client Service failed to kickoff in a timely fashion. Notwithstanding, nosotros've had no problems with the Steam client on the test computer, and then information technology's likely a one-time error that corrected itself on a subsequent launch.

In theory, other applications are also supposed to log events to these logs. However, many applications don't offer very useful outcome data.

Uses for the Event Viewer

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At this point, you're probably wondering why yous should care about Event Viewer, but it really can exist helpful if you're troubleshooting a specific problem. For example, if your computer is blue-screening or randomly restarting, Outcome Viewer may provide more data about the cause. For example, an error event in the System log section may inform you which hardware driver crashed, which can aid you pin down a buggy driver or a faulty hardware component. Just await for the error message associated with the time your computer froze or restarted—an error message about a computer freeze will be marked as Disquisitional.

You can also look up specific effect IDs online, which can assist locate information specific to the error y'all're encountering. Just double-click the error in Effect Viewer to open its holding window and look for the "Result ID" entry.

There are other absurd uses for the Event Viewer, too. For example, Windows keeps rails of your computer's boot fourth dimension and logs it to an event, so you can utilise the Event Viewer to find your PC's verbal boot time. If you're running a server or other computer that should rarely shut downwards, you can enable shutdown event tracking. Whenever someone shuts down or restarts the computer, they'll have to provide a reason. You can view each shut down or system restart and its reason in the Event Viewer.

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Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/123646/htg-explains-what-the-windows-event-viewer-is-and-how-you-can-use-it/

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