Tip #4008 - Reliability Monitor
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Q:
Do you have any information on the Reliability Monitor in Windows Vista?
I think it's something I would be interested in using, but I don't know
a lot about it yet. Anything you can tell me would be a big help. Thanks!
A:
As a matter of fact, I do have some information on that and I would be
more than happy to share it with all of you! The Reliability Monitor
is actually something we like to use quite often on our WorldStart
Windows Vista computers. We have found it to be very helpful and we think
it's probably one of the best tools that came along with Vista. Now, before
I go on and rave about it some more, let me give you some information
on it and you can then decide for yourself too. Here we go!
First of all, the
main function of the Reliability Monitor is to track down any malfunctions
that may be occurring within your Vista computer system. It pinpoints
any problems you may be having and it also helps you to fix them right
away. Once you run the Reliability Monitor, it gives you a graph of all
your software installs, uninstalls and any errors that have been recorded
within those programs.
To start the Reliability
Monitor application, click on your Start button and in
the search box that comes up under that, type in "reliability."
Once your results show up, select the option of Reliability and
Performance Monitor. Then click on Reliability Monitor.
Once you have that
open, you will see your Reliability Index value in the very top right
hand corner. That value is set based on how smoothly Vista runs on your
computer. It starts at 10, but it can decrease, depending on everything
you have on your system. For example, if you try to install some older
programs onto your Windows Vista computer, they might end up crashing
if they cannot be supported by Vista. If that happens, your value will
go down.
Your Reliability Index
is updated on a daily basis, which is very convenient. Since it is done
that way, you can check your status one day, wait a week or two and then
check it again. If some of the same applications or pieces of hardware
are causing trouble on a regular basis, you'll know it right away and
you can take the next steps in getting them fixed.
So, what if the Reliability
Monitor does find a few problems with some of your software or hardware?
Well, once you find all of that out, you'll need to troubleshoot them.
Then if you're not able to fix them properly, you may have to remove them
from your Vista computer completely. Otherwise, your Vista computer will
not run at its full capability. And if that happens, you're the only one
losing out.
Now, as I said earlier,
the Reliability Monitor does try to give you some tips on getting your
problems fixed. Whenever it finds a malfunction on your Vista computer,
the Reliability Monitor will record the date on which it happened and
it will give you examples of the events that led up to the point of when
the problem actually started. All of that information will be displayed
in the System Stability Chart within the Reliability Monitor application.
The errors are then marked with a red circle with a small "x"
inside.
Once you get your
report, you can go through the list of errors found on your computer and
then look back through all the information given to see what might have
caused the problems in the first place. For example, if your computer
crashed at one time or another, you can go back through your report and
see what might have caused it to happen. Often times, things that happened
a few days (or even weeks) earlier can be the reason for a persistent
problem. And that's exactly what the Reliability Monitor is here to show
you.
Go on and check it
out. You might be surprised at what's going on inside your Vista computer,
even now as we speak. Good luck, my Vista user friends!
~ Erin
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