DOCUMENT:Q253534 06-AUG-2002 [winnt] TITLE :Gathering System Information Without GUI Interaction PRODUCT :Microsoft Windows NT PROD/VER:WINDOWS:2000; winnt:4.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kbenv kbtoolkbfaq ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 - Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 - Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional - Microsoft Windows 2000 Server ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY ======= This article describes how to gather system information without Graphical User Interface (GUI) interaction, so that Microsoft Support Professionals can troubleshoot configuration problems on a computer that is running Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000. MORE INFORMATION ================ The basic tool that is used to gather system information in Windows NT 4.0 is Winmsd.exe. This utility does not exist in Windows 2000; the Msinfo32.exe tool has replaced it. It is located in the :\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo folder. There is no path to this folder by default, so you must start Msinfo32.exe by using the full path. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q229798 Msinfo32.exe Starts When You Try to Start Winmsd In addition to a more detailed graphical view of a local or remote computer's configuration, Msinfo32.exe supports additional command-line switches to generate text-based system information files about the software and hardware configuration from a local or remote computer. This is also true for Windows NT 4.0-based computers, with minor restrictions. If you cannot use Winmsd.exe locally or do not have an appropriate tool to gather system information on a Windows NT 4.0-based computer, a remote output from Msinfo32.exe might be sufficient. If a remote Console service is installed on the Windows NT 4.0-based computer, you can use the following command to create a text-based system information file: winmsd.exe /report path:\report.log Msinfo32.exe supports the following command-line switches to generate a local or remote system information file: +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Switch | Description | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | /? | Display this Help | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | /msinfo_file | Open the specified .nfo or .cab file | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | /nfo or /s | Outputs an .nfo file with the specified file name | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | /report | Outputs a text-format file to the specified file name | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | /computer | Connects to the specified computer | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | /categories | Displays or outputs the specified categories | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | /category | Set focus to a specific category at startup | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Note that the generation of the text file can take some time, depending on the complexity of the system. Additional query words: winmsd reomte system configuration msinfo32 ====================================================================== Keywords : kbenv kbtool kbfaq Technology : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT400search kbwin2000Serv kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400 kbwin2000ServSearch kbwin2000Search kbwin2000ProSearch kbwin2000Pro Version : WINDOWS:2000; winnt:4.0 Hardware : x86 Issue type : kbinfo ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2002.