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Windows 7 Desktop Maintenance

Monitoring and maintaining desktop health is a key part of maintaining an IT infrastructure. This tutorial describes some of the tools available for maintaining desktop health in the Windows 7 operating system,

  • including Performance Monitor

  • Resource Monitor

  • Reliability Monitor

  • Windows Performance Tools (WPT) Kit

  • Event Viewer

  • the Windows System Assessment Tool

  • the Performance Information and Tools Control Panel item, Windows Error Reporting (WER), and

  • Task Scheduler

Beginning with Windows 7, you can also use Windows PowerShell to collect performance data, read event logs, and perform other desktop maintenance tasks.

In this tutorial:

  1. Performance Monitoring
  2. Improvements to Performance Monitoring in Windows 7
  3. Using Performance Monitor
  4. Real-Time Performance Monitoring
  5. Performance Monitor Logging
  6. Creating a Data Collector Set
  7. Configuring a Data Collector Set
  8. Using Data Manager to View Performance Data
  9. Starting and Stopping Data Logging
  10. Viewing Performance Data
  11. Comparing Performance Monitor Logs
  12. Performance Monitor User Rights
  13. Remote Data Collection
  14. Using Windows PowerShell for Performance Monitoring
  15. Resource Monitor
  16. Overview Tab
  17. CPU Tab
  18. Memory Tab
  19. Disk Tab
  20. Network Tab
  21. Reliability Monitor
  22. How Reliability Monitor Works
  23. Windows Performance Tools Kit
  24. Event Monitoring
  25. Understanding the Windows Event Architecture
  26. Channels
  27. Improvements to Event Monitoring in Windows 7
  28. Using Event Viewer
  29. Understanding Views
  30. Viewing Event Logs
  31. Saving Event Logs
  32. Configuring Event Subscriptions
  33. Considerations for Workgroup Environments
  34. Creating a New Subscription
  35. Using the Windows Events Command-Line Utility for Event Monitoring
  36. Using Windows PowerShell for Event Monitoring
  37. Using Task Scheduler
  38. Improvements to Task Scheduler in Windows 7
  39. Understanding Tasks
  40. Understanding the Task Scheduler Architecture
  41. Understanding Task Scheduler Security
  42. Credentials Management
  43. Securing Running Tasks
  44. Understanding AT and Task Scheduler v1.0 Compatibility Modes
  45. Understanding the Task Scheduler Snap-in
  46. Understanding Default Tasks
  47. Creating Tasks
  48. Defining Triggers
  49. At Startup Trigger
  50. On Connection To AND Disconnect From User Session Triggers
  51. On Workstation Lock AND Unlock Triggers
  52. Defining Actions
  53. Defining Conditions
  54. Defining Settings
  55. Managing Tasks
  56. Viewing History
  57. Using SchTasks.exe for Creating and Managing Tasks
  58. Task Scheduler Events
  59. Troubleshooting Task Scheduler
  60. Tasks Won't Run If the Service Is Not Started
  61. The Task Will Run Only When a Certain User Is Logged On
  62. The Task Action Failed to Execute
  63. Interpreting Result and Return Codes
  64. Understanding the Windows System Assessment Tool
  65. Understanding WinSAT Assessment Tests
  66. Examining the WinSAT Features Assessment
  67. Running WinSAT from the Command Line
  68. Understanding WinSAT Command Exit Values
  69. Running WinSAT Using Performance Information and Tools
  70. System Capabilities Section
  71. OEM Upsell And Help Section
  72. Understanding Windows Error Reporting
  73. Overview of Windows Error Reporting
  74. How WER Works
  75. Store Management System
  76. ReportArchive Folder
  77. WER Service
  78. Understanding the Error Reporting Cycle
  79. Understanding WER Data
  80. Configuring WER Using Group Policy
  81. Configuring WER Using the Action Center