Analyzing Software Breakdowns Using Windows Tools
USING THE MAINTENANCE CENTER
As soon as windows detects a problem, it creates a report and wants to search for a solution on the Microsoft website-which often leads to no results. You can call up the list the list of problem reports in the task bar via the 'Action Centre'. Under 'Maintenance', click 'Display problems to be reported'. If you organize the list according to 'Sources', you will see which programs crash most often. By clicking 'Display technical details', Windows gives a detailed description of the cause. A good starting point for a solution is the value for the 'Exception code'. Although a corresponding Google search might not take you exactly to exactly what you are looking for, it often provides valuable information.
ANALYZING THE EVENT LOG
You will find details for less serious problems in the Start menu under 'Administrative Tools | Event Viewer'. Open 'Windows logs' for the category 'Applications'. Windows saves all reports related to the installed software-three can be several thousands. If you sort data according to 'Level', you will get all error messages at a glance. Sorting by 'Source' refines the search by the different causes, for example, 'Application Error' or 'Hang'. If you select an entry, you can check in the main window under 'General' what exactly happened. If you scan the list, you will see whether a program has always failed at the same task or whether there is some other reasons for this. In the latter case, it is not compatible with your system and you should uninstall it