NT Diagnostics is a utility that you can use to look into the current configuration of your computer (Figure 5.4). You can use this multitabbed interface to see current settings and configurations, but you cannot use it to alter anything. The tabs and the information they display are as follows:
Version — This tab displays the version information for the operating system, including to whom the OS is registered.
System — This tab displays information about the HAL this computer uses, as well as basic BIOS information and CPU types.
Display — This tab displays information about the computer’s video system, including video card BIOS, adapter types and settings, and installed drivers.
Drives — This tab displays a list of all known storage devices. Double-clicking on any drive letter reveals a two-tabbed window that displays device details, such as clusters, sectors, bytes, free and used space, file system format, LFN support, and various device flags.
Memory — This tab displays the same Totals, Physical, Commit, and Kernel Memory statistics that are displayed on the Task Manager Performance tab — plus details about the page-file size, use, and path.
Services — This tab displays a list of installed services and their current status (running, stopped, paused). By clicking Devices, you can also list the installed devices and their status. Double-clicking on a listed service or devices reveals a two-tabbed window that displays details such as start type, account context, error severity, group, service flags, path to files, and dependencies.
Resources — This tab displays system resources in use, such as IRQ, I/O Port, DMA, Memory, and Devices. Selecting the Include HAL Resources checkbox expands the information to include all possible resources based on the HAL in use.
Environment — This tab displays the defined environmental variables for the System or the Local User.
Network — This tab displays general network information (e.g., domain, access level, and current user), transport drivers in use, network communications settings, and network communications statistics.
Tip: The information displayed through NT Diagnostics can be printed, stored to a file, or copied into the Clipboard on a single or all-tab basis. Simply click Print to access the Create Report dialog box to make your selections.
Tip: NT Diagnostics can also be used to view the status of other computers on the network. Use the FileSelect Computer command to select a computer from a browse list.
This tool is more often used in system configuration than in performance monitoring or tuning. But, some of the data available through this tool can direct you to performance activities. For example, you can verify that the video driver loaded matches the video card’s BIOS chip.
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