Troubleshoot Windows with a System Health Report
If you’re Windows 7 system is acting unstable, and you’re not sure where to start, generate a System Health Report. This free feature is included in Windows 7 and Vista.
Click Start and type: perfmon /report in the search box then hit Enter.
Alternately you can hit the Windows key + R to bring up the Run dialog, type: perfmon /report and click OK.
This launches the Resource and Performance Monitor. It takes about a minute while it collects system data.
When it finishes, you’ll get a list of your system’s components. It gives you data on each component like the CPU, hard drive, memory and more. Just expand each column to check if there are any problems.
The report runs a full set of diagnostics on your systems hardware and software components. And provide you with errors and warnings so you can go in and fix them. Here’s an example of a driver for an external device that isn’t installed properly.
If you need more help from another colleague or tech expert, click File >> Save As to send them the report in HTML format. This works best if opened in Internet Explorer.
Generating a System Health Report is great place to start when troubleshooting your system. The report is detailed and lets you drill down problems that are component-specific.
If you’re looking for an additional troubleshooting utility, try Speccy. It will give you detailed information about your hardware and software components too.
Editor Update: It appears there’s a known bug with the reporting. If your System Health Report says you don’t have an antivirus installed, but you know you do, follow these steps.
Go to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article for their HotFix.
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2482947/
Click to request the Hotfix. Microsoft will send you a zip file via email.
Extract it and run Windows6.1-KB2482947-x86.msu and reboot your system.
Thanks to readers @Jack and @Johnny for pointing this out!
14 Comments
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Jack
January 2, 2012 at 9:49 am
I think my ‘Health Report’ app is sick. It keeps telling me it is collecting data, but that’s as far as it goes. It never displays anything. How can this be fixed?
Vadim
January 2, 2012 at 11:04 am
Are you running Windows 7 or Windows 8? Working fine for me on Win 7.
Brian Burgess
January 2, 2012 at 12:56 pm
@Jack you’re letting it run a full 60 minute yes?
Jack
January 3, 2012 at 2:54 am
In the report it tells me I have no anti-virus, but I do have one running. I says if I do have anti-virus go to the Security Center and configure to stop monitoring it. How exactly do I do that?
Ian Taylor
January 3, 2012 at 9:43 am
Tried both methods but tells me that no such program exists,I’m running 7.
Johnny
January 3, 2012 at 10:51 am
I’m having the same problem as Jack. It’s telling me no antivirus detected. I’ve got Avast Pro, Malwarebytes, and Security Essentials installed.
(Symptom: The Security Center has not recorded an anti-virus product.
Cause: The Security Center is unable to identify an active anti-virus application. Either there is no anti-virus product installed or it is not recognized.
Resolution: 1. Verify that an anti-virus product is installed.
2. If an anti-virus product is installed and functioning configure Security Center to stop monitoring anti-virus status.
Related: Anti-virus)
How do I configure security center to stop monitoring antivirus status? Or doesn’t it really matter?
Thanks.
Brian Burgess
January 3, 2012 at 7:19 pm
@Johnny @Jack after researching this issue. It appears it’s a known bug with the reporting. Several users have experienced the exact same issue with Windows 7 or Vista SP2.
Here’s the Microsoft Knowledge Base article for the HotFix.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2482947/
Click to request the HotFix. MS will send you a zip file via email, then extract it and run Windows6.1-KB2482947-x86.msu and reboot your system.
A lot of work for a bug in their reporting system huh?
Adam
January 4, 2012 at 7:27 am
Worked perfectly for me. Nice tip. Looks like I’m OK.
Chaitanya
January 9, 2012 at 3:25 am
Nice one… Will the report detect bug in Speaker as well? My speaker makes sound like whistle.
Brian Burgess
January 9, 2012 at 12:55 pm
@Chaitanya: It will find if there are problems with your speaker drivers or software associated with it…but not the actual speakers themselves.
Chaitanya
January 9, 2012 at 9:09 pm
Thanks Brian appreciate your reply. I faced a problem yesterday When I run this “perfmon /report” command my system threw error message saying “no path found hence report not able to generate”.
And one more question in general how come this command has a space in between perfmon and /report ? May be it’s a silly question :-)
Steve Krause
January 10, 2012 at 2:53 pm
NO questions are silly ;)
Perfmon is the app and /report is the command parameter. That’s pretty typical in Windows command line apps.
Chaitanya
January 10, 2012 at 8:54 pm
Thanks Steve for your reply.
Kindly suggest me the solution on this “perfmon /report” command in my system threw error message saying “no path found hence report not able to generate”.
Johnny Tensongs
April 9, 2012 at 2:07 pm
Will this work for Windows XP w/SP3? If not, is there an application that will trouubleshoot etc that will work for XP w/SP3?