Lab 16.4: Using System Monitor

The first step in optimizing any system is to determine what is currently happening in the system. Many people want to improve performance, and they often waste money by upgrading components that are not currently causing a system bottleneck. A system bottleneck is a component that is causing the overall system to slow down.

Microsoft provides the System Monitor utility, which can help you see how well your components are performing. By analyzing performance, you can determine which components need to be upgraded. You should start your analysis by looking at the major components: CPU, RAM, and hard drive. From there, you can expand your examination by evaluating the network and other devices that make up your system.

Note

System Monitor is installed by default in Windows 2000 and Windows XP. You have to install System Monitor in Windows 98.

Upon completion of this lab, you will be able to:

• Install System Monitor in Windows 98

• View performance activity on a Windows 98/2000/XP computer

Set Up

For this lab, you will need a computer running Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. You will need the Windows 98 Installation CD to install System Monitor.

Exercises

In this set of exercises, you will look at CPU, RAM, and hard-drive performance on a computer. The first step in Windows 98 is to install System Monitor; the utility also works differently in Windows 98. In Windows 2000/XP, the difference is in the way you launch the utility.

Installing System Monitor in Windows 98

1. Open Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel:

   Start Settings Control Panel Add/Remove Programs

2. Click on the Windows Setup tab to open the Windows Setup dialog box.

3. Highlight System Tools and click Details.

   Note

   Be careful not to click the check box. Doing so installs all the system tools.

4. Click the System Monitor check box and then click OK.

5. Click OK in the Add/Remove Programs Properties window.

6. When prompted, insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive. Click OK to install the files.

7. Close Control Panel.

Viewing Performance Activity in Windows 98

In Windows 98,

1. Open System Monitor:

   Start Programs Accessories System Tools System Monitor

2. When the System Monitor opens, it shows the Kernel category with the Processor Usage (%) item active. By default, it collects information every 5 seconds. You will add some items in different categories by using the Edit menu. (There are icons to accomplish the same tasks; hover your mouse over the icons so you can see what they do.) Choose this menu item:

   Edit Add Item

3. Under Category, click Memory Manager. This option allows you to add items related to memory. Click Allocated Memory.

4. Click the Explain button. Doing so provides an explanation about the item. Click OK.

5. Click OK to add allocated memory.

6. View the graph of allocated memory.

7. Add an item to view the number of reads per second from the hard drive:

   Edit Add Item File System Reads/Second

8. Add an item to view the number of cache hits:

   Edit Add Item Disk Cache Cache Hits

9. Add an item to view the number of threads:

   Edit Add Item Kernel Threads

10. Add an item to view the size of the disk cache:

    Edit Add Item Memory Manager Disk Cache Size

11. View System Monitor for a couple of minutes. Record the peak values for the items:

12. Launch an application.

13. View System Monitor for a couple of minutes. Record the new peak values for the items:

14. Create a snapshot of the activity:

    File Start Logging

15. Accept the default log name by clicking Save.

16. After a few minutes, stop the logging activity:

    File Stop Logging

17. Close System Monitor.

Viewing Performance Activity in Windows 2000 and Windows XP

To view performance activity in Window 2000 and Windows XP,

1. Open the Performance window.

   In Windows 2000:

   Start Settings Control Panel Administrative Tools Performance

   In Windows XP:

   Start Control Panel Performance and Maintenance Administrative Tools Performance

2. To see any activity, you must add counters to the window. To add counters, click the Add button in the Performance window. The Add button looks like a plus sign.

3. In the Add Counters window, click on the Performance Object drop-down menu and select the Processor object. Highlight the % Processor Time counter in the Select Counter from List field. Click Add.

4. Click on the Performance Object drop-down menu and select the Memory object. Highlight the Pages/sec counter in the Select Counter from List field. Click Add.

5. Click on the Performance Object drop-down menu and select the Paging File object. Highlight the %Usage counter in the Select Counter from List field. Click Add.

6. Click on the Performance Object drop-down menu and select the Physical Disk object. Highlight the Disk Read Bytes/sec counter in the Select Counter from List field. Click Add.

7. Click Close to view the chart.

8. View System Monitor for a couple of minutes. Record the peak values for the counters:

9. Close the Performance window.