Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Troubleshooting Device Installation

The following sections outline specific troubleshooting steps with regard to device installation. For general guidance on troubleshooting hardware problems in Windows 7.

Using Event Logs

Windows event logs can be useful for troubleshooting device installation problems and driver issues. In addition to checking the System Event Log, you should check the Operational Event Logs under Applications And Services Logs\Microsoft\Windows\DriverFrameworks-UserMode when experiencing problems installing devices and device drivers. For more information on using Event Viewer.

Using WinSAT

WinSAT is a tool included in Windows 7 that provides a benchmark of system performance based on ratings of the following hardware:

• Processor
• Physical memory (RAM)
• Hard disk (%SystemDrive% only)
• Graphics and gaming graphics

WinSAT results are saved in both the registry and in an XML file saved in the %SystemRoot% \Performance\WinSAT\Datastore directory. You can also run WinSAT on demand by opening Performance Information And Tools in Control Panel and clicking Re-run The Assessment. WinSAT stores a history of up to one hundred system assessments and discards the oldest assessment when the limit is reached. WinSAT never deletes the initial assessment produced during the Machine Out-Of-Box Experience (MOOBE).

WinSAT can also be useful to determine which drivers are slowing down the boot process or blocking a system from Sleep mode. Problem drivers will be flagged under Performance Issues with messages such as "Drivers are causing Windows to start slowly" or "Drivers are interfering with Windows entering sleep mode." The solution to these situations is usually to update the problem drivers. However, these messages might also be reported as a result of configuration issues with devices.