How To Gather Information for Effective Troubleshooting of Performance Issues

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0

SUMMARY

This article explains how to gather information so that Microsoft Support Professionals can troubleshoot performance problems on a computer running Windows NT. Please read all steps as you will be asked to provide information from several tools when contacting a support professional for assistance.

MORE INFORMATION

The basic tool used for troubleshooting performance issues is Performance Monitor. Follow the steps below to prepare for collecting performance information:

Prior to Creating a Performance Monitor Log

1. Turn off screen savers permanently.
   
   
   1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double- click Display.
   
   
   
   2. Click the Screen Saver tab, click None, and then click OK.
   
   
   



2. Disable all non-essential services in the Services tool in Control Panel.



3. For all possible disk issues, enable Diskperf.
   
   
   1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Command Prompt.
   
   
   
   2. Type the following command to enable disk counters:
      
      diskperf -y
      
      NOTE: Do not use diskperf -YE unless instructed to do so.
   
   
   



4. Document Lanman Server parameters.
   
   WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
   
   For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).
   
   1. Run Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
   
   
   
   2. Go to the following keys in the registry:
      
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager
      \Memory Management
      
      
      
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer
      \Parameters
      
      NOTE: The above registry keys are one path; they have been wrapped or readability.
   
   
   
   3. Write down all values on the right-hand side that are not equal to zero.
      
      -or-
      
      On the Registry menu, click Save Subtree As and then change the file type to Text File and give the file a name.
      
      NOTE: Do not save the file as a *.REG file.
   
   
   



5. If instructed to do so by the support professional, install the SNMP service and Network Monitor Agent and Tools. This procedure will require the Windows NT compact disc or an appropriate share path.
   
   To install on Windows NT 3.51
   
   
   1. In the Main group, double-click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
   
   
   
   2. Click Add Software, select SNMP, and then click OK.
   
   
   
   3. Repeat the previous step and select Network Monitor Agent and Tools. Click OK when prompted to restart the computer.
   
   
   
   To install on Windows NT 4.0
   
   
   1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double- click Network.
   
   
   
   2. Click the Services tab.
   
   
   
   3. Click Add.
   
   
   
   4. From the list of Network Software, select SNMP and then click OK.
   
   
   
   5. Repeat the previous step and select Network Monitor Agent and Tools.
   
   
   
   6. Click No when prompted to restart the computer.
   
   
   
   7. If there are any service packs installed, reapply the service pack.
   
   
   
   8. Click OK when prompted to restart the computer. NOTE: These services install Network Interface, Network Segment, and TCP/IP counters in Performance Monitor.
   
   
   

Creating the Performance Monitor Log

• Click Start, point to Program, and then click Administrative Tools.

Q150934 How to Create a Performance Monitor Log for NT Troubleshooting

Recommended Performance Objects

   Cache
   Logical Disk
   Memory
   Network Interface
   Network Segment
   Objects
   Paging File
   Physical Disks
   Process
   Processor
   Redirector
   Server
   Server Work Queues
   System
   Thread 

After Creating the Performance Monitor Log

1. Create a Windows NT Diagnostics Report.
   
   
   1. Click Start, point to Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Windows NT Diagnostics.
   
   
   
   2. On the File menu, click Save Report.
   
   
   
   3. Click All Tab in the Scope Set, click Complete in the Detail Level, click File for Destination, and then click OK.
   
   
   



2. Save the System and Application Event Logs.
   
   
   1. Click Start, point to Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Event Viewer.
   
   
   
   2. On the Log menu, click System. If System is already selected, click Save As. Save the file as System.evt.
   
   
   
   3. On the Log menu, click Application.
   
   
   
   4. On the Log menu, click Save As. Save the file as Application.evt.
   
   
   



3. Zip the following files into one file using a compression tool.
   
   
   • Registry file or the written information in a text file.
   
   
   
   • Performance Monitor log (the .log file, not the *.pml file).
   
   
   
   • Windows NT diagnostics report.
   
   
   
   • Event logs: System.evt and Application.evt.
   
   
   

Additional query words: performance tuning memory leak utilization Perfmon setup

Keywords          : kbtool nthowto NTSrvWkst ntutil 
Version           : WinNT:3.5,3.51,4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbhowto 

Last Reviewed: July 2, 1999