Windows XP support tools

Whether it is monitoring system performance or exploring the cause of failure, the real key is to find the right tool. Open "All Program "Menu," System Tools ", there are a lot of tools for you to choose from. However, if you are an experienced user, Windows XP also provides you with another gift package: install more than 100 tools on the CD. They cover all aspects of the operating system, connect to folders and disk management from the network and the Internet, and have no backup. This is a tool set called Windows support tools. It is specially designed for users who are unwilling to stay on Windows.

Before officially exploiting this treasure, I would like to warn you that misuse of some tools may compromise the security of the system itself. Do not use tools to use them. Before running each tool, you must have a clear goal and be careful with the operation.

Windows XP installed by default does not contain support tools. These tools must be manually installed using Windows installation CD. During the installation, the wizard will ask whether to perform a typical installation or full installation, 57 tools will be installed in a typical installation method, and 103 tools will be installed in a full installation method. After the installation is complete, a new folder support tools will be added to the Program Files directory. many tools are obtained by means of full installation. The multiple tools are mainly used to diagnose network and server problems. Let's take a few examples to see the rich functions of support tools: idea, which can analyze two files or folders and compare the differences between the two.

I. general use process

If you want to know the general usage process of a program, the best way is to read the help documentation of support tools, which is under the "All Programs" menu. In this help document, you can find a list of tools in alphabetical order, including most of the support tools and their functional instructions. Some tools are independent. HLP help file, open the \ Program Files \ Support Tools Folder, and double-click one. You can view the content of an HLP file.

For most tools, double-click the Program Files \ Support Tools Folder. EXE file startup, but not every tool has a graphical user interface, some tools must run from the command line, the running mode of such tools is usually controlled by command line parameters, enter the program name of a tool and add "/?" Parameters can be used to obtain the list of command line parameters and their usage instructions.

Ii. installation from the command line

Sometimes Windows XP cannot be started. You need support tools to find out the cause of the fault. However, if the system has not installed support tools, it is impossible to use support tools. Don't worry, msiexec can help. Msiexec can install, modify, and perform other operations on Windows Installer (Windows Installer) from the command line.

The typical installation command of support tools on the command line is: msiexec/I X: \ support \ tools \ suptools. MSI/Q, where X is the drive letter of the CD drive. The fully-installed command is: msiexec/I X: \ support \ tools \ suptools. MSI/Q addlocal = all, where addlocal = All indicates that all tools are installed.
Iii. Handle Software Uninstall faults

After a software is used up, you may want to delete it. However, sometimes it is easy to delete the operation, but the system crashes inexplicably or has a strange error message. There are many reasons for the deletion failure, either because the software itself has not been fully tested or the Registry configuration is damaged or invalid. Don't worry. support tools can help you. In fact, you can find two Windows Installer cleanup tools: msicu.exe, msizap.exe. The English name of the latter is Windows Installer zapper and can only be run from the command line.

Msicuu.exe: this tool clears the files, folders, and registry information added to the system during installation in Windows Resource Manager. Msicuu.exe is worth a try. Msicuu.exe provides an easy-to-use dialog window to help you clear problematic software. When using msicuu.exe, you must log on to Windows XP as an administrator. Otherwise, an error message is displayed.

All actions executed with msicuu.exe are recorded in a log file, which is the msicu. log file saved in the Windows \ temp directory. The content of this log file is accumulated constantly. Each time you delete a software, the operation details are recorded in this log.

Msizap.exe: Master function and msicu.exe. msizap.exe runs from the command line and does not provide a window interface. Click "start"-"All Programs"-"Windows support tools"-"command promptworkflow", enter msizap.exe, and press Enter. Msizap.exe displays available command line parameters in the Command window.

Use msizap.exe to clear an installed software. You must specify the software identification in the Registry on the command line. The software ID can be found under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/uninstall key in the registry. For example, if you want to use msizap.exe to clear all content related to the Acme antivirus software, run the command: msizap t {66ch7520-b423-4bd1-a7e4-75bb8b44740e }.

4. manage files and directories

Directory disk usageis diruse.exe, which is also a command line tool. You can use it to view the directory size and detailed compression information (only applicable to NTFS partitions ). In addition to the disk space occupied by the folder, it can also set the maximum space limit of the specified folder. When the space occupied by the folder exceeds the limit, an alarm is triggered.

Diruse.exe is an ideal tool for managing public PCs. It can be used in combination with the disk management function of windows to closely monitor all user accounts. Users with administrator permissions can check the usage of all directories, including directories that do not belong to the Current Account.

When Windows cannot be started and you can only access the Recovery Console, support tools is a rare life-saving weapon. For example, you can use the file upload tool (filever.exe) to view the execution file information stored in the directory, including viewing the details that can only be seen during normal Windows running, especially. The exact version number of the EXE file.

V. File Information

The Visualized file information tool (vfi.exe) can be started in the "run" dialog box. It is a tool with a graphical interface. You can use it to display the detailed description of the file. For example, if you click "file"-"add a file" (or add a directorylogs, and then add a file or directory for detailed information, vfi.exe will display the file attributes in a table, including file name, extension, creation date, modification date, version, language,CodePage, and so on.

Vfi.exe is an ideal tool to compare unprecated files. Vfi.exe also has a commendable feature that can modify the original file creation date and click the touch button to display a calendar and clock, you only need to set the date and time information and click OK.

6. Searching for duplicate files

The review tool (dupfinder.exe) is perhaps one of the most useful tools in support tools. If you are clear about the number of remaining files in the system, dupfinder.exe is definitely worth a try. Dupfinder.exe provides a graphical user interface that is easy to use. Even so, be careful when using it. Do not delete the duplicate files immediately after finding them. The safer way is to change the name of the duplicate file to see if the system is running normally. After testing for a while and confirming that the system functions are not affected, delete the duplicate file.

After you start dupfinder.exe, enter a directory name (C: \ by default) in the search in input box and click Start search. Searching the entire c drive may take a long time.

the search result is displayed in the list below the window. Right-click an object to delete, move, rename, and view information. Be careful when deleting files in Windows folders (and their subfolders). If there are duplicate files in other folders, keep the files in Windows folders first.