Tools are small applications that implement a limited set of functions and help you perform management or problem-solving tasks. The subset of tools discussed in this appendix is presented in categories based on tool uses, such as recovery, diagnosis, and system file maintenance. Tools are also described according to where to find them and how to use them. For example, you can download a debugging tool or install Windows Support Tools from the Support folder on the Microsoft Windows XP Professional operating system CD.
When you use the operating system CD to install Windows XP Professional, Setup installs several tools with the operating system. You can install additional tools from the CD or by downloading them as needed. Troubleshooting tools can be described in three categories.
Setup installs built-in tools as part of the default setup. For each built-in tool, Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center provides an overview, and usage and syntax examples (if applicable).
Windows Support Tools are optional tools that you might find useful for troubleshooting. Setup does not install these tools; instead, use the Support Tools setup program.
To install Support Tools
While Windows XP Professional is running, insert the Windows XP Professional operating system CD into your computer.
Click No if you are prompted to reinstall Microsoft Windows .
When the Welcome screen appears, click Perform Additional Tasks, and then click Browse this CD.
Navigate to the drive:\Support\Tools folder on the Windows XP Professional CD and double-click Setup.exe.
The variable drive represents the drive letter assigned to the CD ROM.
Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
If Support Tools Setup detects an older version of Support Tools, you are prompted to uninstall them. It is recommended that you remove all previous versions of Support Tools before proceeding with the installation.
If you do not have a Windows XP Professional operating system CD available, or for network-based installations, you can install Support Tools by running \\server\share\i386\Support\Tools\Setup.exe on the network distribution share. The Support Tools setup program adds Windows Support Tools to the Start menu, allowing you to view Support Tools Help for more information. For more information about Support Tools setup options, including command-line and unattended setup parameters, see the Readme.htm file in the \Support\Tools folder.
Microsoft Debugging Tools for Windows enables advanced users to diagnose and troubleshoot complex problems that might not be solved by other means. For example, you can use a kernel debugger to determine the cause of a Stop error, such as a Stop 0x0000000A, IRQL_NOT_LESS_ OR_EQUAL. The Windows XP Professional operating system CD does not provide debugging tools; you must download them from Microsoft.
To install the debugging tools
Click the Debugging Tools link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources
Click Debugging Tools for Windows, and follow the instructions under Installing Debugging Tools for Windows.
At the prompt, specify the destination folder.
Setup copies files and creates a Start menu Microsoft Debugging Tools folder. For more information about Stop messages and debugging tools, see Common Stop Messages for Troubleshooting in this book.
Windows XP Professional tools typically implement a command-line interface or a graphical user interface (GUI). The interface type determines how you interact with the tool.
These tools use a character mode user interface and typically accept only keyboard input. Compared to GUI tools, command-line tools typically require less disk space and fewer system resources to run. In many cases, you can use additional features or change the default behavior of a command-line tool by specifying optional parameters when starting the tool. File name extensions of command-line tools include .vbs, .exe, and .com. For inexperienced users, command-line tools might be more difficult to use than GUI tools.
GUI tools accept mouse input and have graphical controls such as windows, dialog boxes, and menus. Typically, GUI-based tools require more disk space and system resources than command-line tools. Most GUI tools also accept optional parameters that change default behavior. File name extensions of GUI tools include .exe and .msc. For many users, GUI tools are easier to use than command-line tools.
You can start GUI tools from the Start menu, by using shortcuts provided by the operating system and software installation programs, or, if you want to specify optional parameters, by using either of the following methods:
From the Run dialog box. In the Run dialog box, start the tool by using the following syntax:
toolname [/switch1] [/switch2]
The /switch parameters are optional, and the number of available parameters varies by tool. Typing the file name extension is normally optional. For example, to start Task Manager (Taskman.exe), you can type taskman or taskman.exe. The exception is when two tools have file names that differ only by file name extension (for example, mytool.com and mytool.exe).
or
From the command prompt. At the command prompt, type the file name of the tool and any parameters.
Snap-ins are GUI administrative tools that differ from standard GUI programs in that you can run them individually, or group them together to create a custom set of tools. You can modify, create, and save snap-in consoles by using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), a framework that hosts administrative tools. You then access a snap-in or a snap-in group by using the console, which displays the tools in a console tree, and the administrative properties, services, and events that are acted on by the items in the tree. An example of a pre-defined Windows XP Professional console is the Computer Management snap-in Compmgmt.msc. You can run a snap-in or snap-in group from the Start menu, by using shortcut icons provided by the operating system and software installation programs, or by using any of the following methods:
From the Run dialog box. In the Run dialog box, start the tool using the following syntax:
toolname.msc [/switch1] [/switch2]
The /switch parameters are optional and the number of available parameters varies by tool. When starting a snap-in from the Run dialog box, you must type the complete file name, including the .msc extension. For example, to start the Services snap-in, you must type: services.msc. Starting a snap-in or snap-in group by using this method automatically invokes MMC, which displays the contents of the console.
or
From the command prompt. At the command prompt, type the entire file name of the snap-in, including the .msc extension and any optional parameters.
or
From MMC. In the Run dialog box, type mmc. To add one or more snap-ins, click Add/Remove Snap-in on the File menu. You can run a snap-in by clicking the snap in name from the MMC interface.
For more information about MMC and snap-ins, see Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center.
You can start a command-line tool from the command prompt by typing the tool file name (the .exe extension is optional), including any optional parameters. Use the following syntax:
toolname [/switch1] [/switch2]
The /switch parameters are optional and the number of available parameters varies by tool. Typing the file name extension is optional. For example, to start IP Configuration (IPConfig.exe), type ipconfig or ipconfig.exe.
The exception to this is when two tools have file names that differ only by file name extension. For example, Mytool.com and Mytool.exe.
For more information about the command prompt, see Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center.
Although most command-line tools display useful information, many do not provide a way to permanently record data to a log. If you do not record the information displayed, you must rerun the tool. However, redirection, a command-line feature, allows you to direct command-line tool output to disk by using the following command-line syntax:
toolname [/switch1] [/switch2] [ ] > [drive:]\[path]\filename.txt
By using the greater-than (>) sign, called the redirection symbol, you can specify the drive, path, and file name to save output to. The /switch parameters are optional, and the number of available parameters varies by tool. The drive and path parameters are also optional. If you do not specify a drive or path, output is saved to the current drive and path.
A common use of redirection is to save or view the help information for a command-line tool. For most command-line tools, you can view a list of parameters by using the back-slash-question-mark (/?) parameter. A large amount of help text might cause the page to scroll too quickly for you to read. To read Help for command-line tools, you can use the following syntax to pause the display or to save the information to a file.
To view Help information one screen at a time
To display information and pause between each screen of output until the user presses a key, use the following syntax:
toolname /? | More
For example, to pause help output for the dir command, type dir /? | More.
To save Help information to a file
To cause the tool or command to save help information to a file, use the following syntax:
toolname /? > [drive:][path]filename.txt
For example, to save help information for the dir directory list command, type:
dir /? > D:\dir_help.txt
You can then use a text editor (such as Notepad.exe) to view the help information that you saved to disk.
Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center provides a central location to access Help, tool usage and installation information, configuration wizards, search engines, and links to information that covers a wide range of Windows XP Professional topics including:
Hardware devices such as modems and network adapters
Internet and networking
Multimedia applications and devices
E-mail, printing, and faxing issues
Working remotely
Remote assistance and troubleshooting
System information and diagnostics
Troubleshooting tools and diagnostic programs provided by Windows XP Professional
To open Help and Support Center
Click Start, and then click Help and Support.
For more information about tools, under Pick a task, click Use Tools to view your computer information and diagnose problems.
You can also use Windows XP Professional Help and Support Center to submit a form describing your problem to Microsoft. A Microsoft Support Professional then evaluates the information and contacts you by using the chosen contact option, such as Remote Assistance, which allows the Microsoft Support Professional to assist you by sharing control of your computer. For more information about Remote Assistance, see Remote Assistance later in this appendix.