XP’s support tools
Whether you’re monitoring performance or trying to find out exactly what’s
causing a particular problem, it’s essential to have the right tool to hand.
Take a look at the All Programs menu and you’ll find a good selection of
utilities at your disposal under System Tools.
For the
more advanced users among you there are over 100 more tools tucked away on your
Windows XP installation CD. They cover all aspects of the Operating System, from
networking and Internet connections to folder and disk management.
They’re called the Windows
Support Tools and are aimed specifically at those with more than just a basic
understanding of Windows XP.
A word of warning before we get started: some of these tools can damage your
system if used incorrectly. Rather than poke around for the sake of it, ensure
that you have a specific task in mind before you start using the tools.
The Windows Support Tools won’t be installed on your PC. You’ll need to insert
your original Windows CD and install them from there. During installation you’ll
be asked to choose either a Typical or Complete installation.
Choose Typical and you’ll get
57 tools; go for Complete and you’ll get 103.
At the end of the process you’ll have a new folder in the Program Files
directory called Support Tools.
You’ll certainly get more tools with the Complete installation, but the main
difference is that these extra utilities give you additional help for diagnosing
network and server related problems.
These include Application
Monitor (Apimon.exe) that counts and times all function calls and can be used to
monitor page faults. Disk Probe (Dskprobe.exe) can be used to edit, save and
copy data on areas of a hard drive that you can’t access in any other way.
It can also be used to replace the Master Boot Record and repair damaged
partition table information. Finally, Windiff (Windiff.exe) is a tool that can
be used for analysing two files or folders and making a direct comparison
between the two and seeing where any differences lie.
Using the tools
There’s not much documentation for the Windows Support Tools. If you’re trying
to fix or trace the route cause of a particular program the best thing to do is
use the Support Tools Help which you’ll find on the All Programs menu.
Here you’ll find an alphabetical list that includes most of the tools along with
a description of the function of those listed. Alternatively, some of the tools
have their own help files which you’ll find in C:\Program Files\Support Tools.
Double-click a .hlp file to read its contents.
Most tools
can be launched by double-clicking the .exe file in the Program Files\Support
Tools directory. However, not all the tools have a graphical interface and some
will need to be run from the command prompt.
The functionality of such tools can be controlled by using specific command line
parameters. You can find out what these are for a particular tool by typing /?
at the prompt, which will display a list of available switches and their use.
Installing the Support Tools from the command line
You may find yourself in
the situation where Windows XP won’t boot so you’ll want to use the Windows
Support Tools to help identify the problem. If they’re not already on your
system you’ll be able to install them from the command line using the Msiexec
utility.
This will enable you to
install, modify and perform operations on the Windows Installer from the command
line using syntax switches.
To perform a
typical installation from the command prompt type the following: msiexec /i x
:\support\tools\suptools.msi /q (where x is the letter of your CD drive).
The complete installation can be achieved by typing msiexec /i x:\support\
tools\suptools.msi /q ADDLOCAL=ALL, where ADDLOCAL =ALL installs all available
features.
Resolving installation problems
Once an
application has served its purpose the time comes to remove it from your system.
Unfortunately, the process that should only take a minute or two sometimes comes
to a grinding halt and throws up spurious error messages.
These problems can occur for a number of reasons. It could be a lack of testing
on the part of the software publisher or perhaps Registry settings have become
damaged or corrupted.
You’ll find the help you need within the Windows Support Tools. In fact, you’ll
find two different versions of the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility: msicuu.exe
and msizap.exe. The latter is also known as the Windows Installer Zapper and can
only be run from the command prompt.
Using msicuu.exe
This tool will remove the folders, files and Registry entries that were placed
on your system when an application was being installed using Windows Installer.
If the Add or Remove Programs tool doesn’t seem to be working for a particular
program then try msicuu.exe instead.
It will provide you with an easy-to-use dialog window that will help identify
the problem application. Make sure that you’re logged into Windows XP with
Administrator privileges when you use the tool, otherwise you’ll receive an
error message.
Every action you perform with msicuu.exe is stored in a log file. The file is
msicu.log and is stored in your Windows\Temp directory. It works cumulatively so
each time an application is removed the details are added to the log.
Using msizap.exe
This
tool is similar in its function to the msicuu.exe tool with the main difference
that it’s run from the command line rather than through a Windows-style dialog.
The Windows Installer Zapper will also remove directories, Registry entries and
files that are related to an application that was installed using the Windows
Installer. Its functions are controlled using command line switches.
The
Zapper tool should only be used as a last resort if both Add or Remove Programs
and msicuu.exe have failed. Caution is required when using this tool as it’s
possible to delete vital systems if you’re not careful.
To launch Windows Installer Zapper click Start, All Programs, Windows Support
Tools, Command Prompt, type msizap.exe and press [Return]. The utility will then
be launched in the command line window showing all the command line switches it
uses.
If you fail to use this
tool properly it can remove all Windows Installer files from your PC and render
certain applications useless.
When running
a command line syntax, be sure to name the product you want to amend. Each
product you install is given its own number and you’ll find details of this in
the Registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / Software / Microsoft/Windows /
CurrentVersion/Uninstall.
As an example, here’s the
syntax you would enter when using Windows Installer Zapper if you wanted to
remove all Windows Installer files relating to the fictitious Acme Anti Virus.
At the command prompt you would enter ‘msizap T
{66Ch7520-B423-4BD1-A7E4-75BB8B44740E}’.
Directory and file management
The Directory Disk Usage tool, diruse.exe, is also run in a command prompt
window. You can use it to view the size of a directory along with any
compression details (NTFS partitions only).
As well as seeing how much space your folders are taking up, you can use this
tool to set a maximum size for specific folders. The tool will make a note of
any folders that exceed the limit that has been set for them and alert you
accordingly.
You can then check the
folder and move the contents elsewhere if necessary.
It’s the
ideal tool for a shared PC and combined with Disk Quotas it’ll enable you to
keep a close eye on all your user accounts. With Administrator privileges you’ll
be able to check the usage of all directories even if they’re not in your
account.
To launch the Directory Disk Usage Tool click Start, All Programs, Windows
Support Tools, Command Prompt. Type diruse then press [Return]. You’ll then see
displayed a list of command line switches, instructions and sample syntax for
using the program.
The
Windows Support Tools are a godsend if you can’t get into Windows and you have
to work from the Recovery Console. You can use File Version (filever.exe) to
view information about the executable files, that are stored in a directory.
You can use it to view details of a file normally only visible while Windows is
running. It comes in particularly useful if you want to check the exact version
number of an .exe file.
File information
The
Visual File Information tool (vfi.exe) can be launched using Run and is
displayed in a Windows dialog rather than a command prompt window. You can use
it to find out specific information about a file.
For example, click File, Add a file and select the file that you’d like to know
more about. There are numerous column headings all displaying vital information
pertaining to the file.
You can see creation date, modification date and version numbers. It’s ideal for
comparing files from different locations. A clever feature of the Visual File
Information tool is that it enables you to change the original creation date of
a file.
Click the Touch button to display a calendar and clock. All you need to do is
choose the new information and click OK. You can also use vfi.exe to display
folder contents.
Finding duplicates
The Duplicate Finder tool
(dupfinder.exe) is probably one of the most useful Windows Support Tools. It’s
perfect if you’re looking to remove as much clutter as possible from your PC.
The Windows interface makes it easy to use, but tread carefully.
If you do identify duplicate files don’t delete them immediately. It’s a good
idea to rename them first and see if your system can cope without them. Only
when you’re sure you don’t need them should you go ahead and delete.
To
launch the tool, click Start, Run, type dupfinder and press OK. In the Search in
folder(s) drop-down box it’s set to C:\ by default. Leave this unchanged and
click Start Search to begin a scan of your hard drive. Depending on the size of
your hard disk this could take a while.
In the results list
right-click any item to see information on file sizes, creation dates and so on.
This will help you to determine whether or not you actually need it. Be wary
when deleting files that are located in your Windows folder or any of its sub
folders.
The chances are you’ll find a
number of other duplicates elsewhere, so concentrate on those first.
