How to use event viewer / event log?

Event viewer is a small tool that Microsoft has built into Windows to keep a running log of the things that Windows does. Windows records these "Events" and stores the information in a log file. They also sort the hardware events from the software events.

1. To start event viewer, you can type "eventvwr" in the Run box (without the quotes) or go to:

3. Expand "Applications" from the pane on the left of the "Event Viewer" window in Windows XP. In Windows Vista, expand "Windows Logs," and then expand "Application."

4. Select the type of log you wish to view from the left pane. Double-click the specific event from the main window. A new window will open with details of that event.

You need to keep in mind that Event Viewer will only log items that Windows monitors. It may not see many problems, but when it encounters a serious error, it will log it. This means that Event Viewer is only a tool to help you figure out what is wrong with your computer.