Event Viewer

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Event Viewer

Event Viewer is an area where Windows Operating Systems keep logs about programs, security, and other events. The main use is for administrators to track software, hardware, and OS errors.

Contents


Overview

Event Viewer automatically logs system activity including dates, time, and the type of event which occurred.. It is broken up into three parts Applications, Security, and System. The Application log will show the events of local applications. Event Viewer will basically tell you exactly what is wrong with a computer provided the administrator takes the time to review and research the logs. Event Viewer is typically most useful for Network Administrators to find problems related to servers. In Windows Vista Event Viewer was reprogrammed and is now called Windows Event Log.



Using Event Viewer

There are a couple ways to access Event Viewer. Right click on My Computer \ Manage \ Event Viewer. Or you can open up Control Panel and click on Administrative Tools and double click on the shortcut labeled Event Viewer. Navigating through Event Viewer is fairly straight forward. Click on Application, System, or Security and you will see a list of all events on the right pane. Double click any of those log entries to get the Event Properties dialog box. This provides more detailed information of the event. From this box you get a description of the error and also a link to Microsoft's help site. You can also print out the description of the error or navigate to the next error in Event Viewer. Each event has a unique numerical ID. If you are not able to find the information related to the event on Microsoft's site, enter the ID into Google.

Example Of Event Properties


Fixes To Event IDs

Enter Known Event ID Fixes Here! Include ID Number.


See Also

Manage Event Logs


List of Windows Components v
Features Windows Aero - System Restore - Previous Versions - SuperFetch - User Account Control (UAC) - Offline Files - ReadyDrive - Instant Search - Windows Sidebar - Parental Controls - Speech Recognition - ClearType - DirectX 10 - ReadyBoost - BitLocker - Flip3D - Remote Desktop - Search Folders - Tablet PC - Windows SideShow
Services Task Scheduler - Desktop Window Manager - Application Experience - Application Host Helper Service - Application Information - Application Layer Gateway Service - Application Management - Background Intelligent Transfer Service - Base Filtering Engine - Block Level Backup Engine Service - Certificate Propagation - COM+ Event System - Computer Browser - DHCPClient
Applications Notepad - Windows Mail - Internet Explorer - Command Prompt (Cmd.exe) - Windows Calendar - Mobility Center - Task Manager - Photo Gallery - Windows Media Center - Windows Media Player - Wordpad - Windows Sidebar - Snipping Tool - Windows Contacts - Device Manager - Disk Defragmenter - Event Viewer - Fax and Scan - Windows Journal - Windows Meeting Space - Windows DVD Maker - Windows Easy Transfer
Security User Account Control (UAC) - Windows Defender - Windows Firewall
Admin Tools Control Panel - Device Manager - Microsoft Management Console (MMC)