Using the Windows Management Console

Most people know that the Windows Control Panel is home to dozens of handy options, but few are aware that there’s a second place to look for more advanced tweaks. The Management Console, a handy tool hidden in both Windows XP and Vista, is home to many advanced settings that dictate how Windows works.

Perhaps most usefully of all, it’s also where you’ll find a complete log of everything that happens on your PC, which can be invaluable when attempting to troubleshoot a particular problem. It’s not quite as user-friendly as the Control Panel, and it’s best to adhere to the old adage of ‘look but don’t touch’ where some of the more advanced settings are concerned, but there are plenty of tools that are safe to use and very handy.

We’ll take you through the various tools available to XP and Vista users, explaining what each one does and how they can be used to troubleshoot problems and improve your computer’s performance.

Safety first
Before looking at the Management Console in detail, it’s important to highlight the fact that problems may occur if you change certain settings. Before you start to make any changes, it’s vital to make sure that you have a backup of all the important files on your computer. We recommend also creating a System Restore point ­ you’ll find instructions on our website.

Once you’re happy that everything is backed up, open the Management Console by clicking on the Start button, right-clicking My Computer and choosing Manage. Vista users can follow the same method, although simply typing ‘computer management’ into the Start menu’s search box is easier.

The management console window is split into two sections. The left pane is home to the list of available sections and categories (or ‘snap-ins’, as Microsoft calls them), while the options in the right pane will change depending on what section you’re currently viewing.

In both XP and Vista, the left pane is broken down into three sections: System Tools, Storage and Services and Applications. Each of these is then split into various categories – ­ you can delve deeper into them by clicking on the icons next to each category (XP uses + and ­ - symbols, while Vista has small arrows); alternatively, double-click a category to expand it, showing all the options inside.

System tools
The first section, System Tools, is home to options that are associated with the running of Windows. Vista includes a few more categories compared to XP ­ – we’ll cover those that are common to both first.

As its name suggests, the Shared Folders category provides information about folders that can be accessed by other users on the network. Clicking on the Shares sub-category displays a list of all the folders that are currently shared. This is a great way to quickly check exactly what parts of your PC might be accessible to other computers in the house.

If you want to see whether anyone on another computer is accessing a folder on your PC, click Sessions. Any folder that’s currently being viewed will be displayed in the right-hand pane along with further information, such as the name of the computer that’s accessing it and how long the shared folder has been open for. Click on Open Files to see exactly which files are being accessed. This tool can be extremely useful if you believe that someone may be gaining unauthorised access to your network.

Event Viewer
Every time something significant occurs on your PC, such as Windows shutting down or a problem with your network, Windows will make a note of it. These notes are stored in a file called the Event Log, and you can view it using the Event Viewer tool.

Double-click on the Event Viewer category to expand it. There are various sub-categories available, with System being the most useful. Click on System and a list of entries will be displayed. Each entry is accompanied by information such as the type of event and when it occurred. Double-clicking an entry brings up further information, including a brief description of what happened.

Most of the descriptions are aimed at advanced users and can therefore be a little confusing, but that’s not to say they can’t be useful to novice Windows users as well. If you see an entry that causes concern, such as one with the event type ‘Error’, you can copy the description into an internet search engine to find out what’s caused it.

The event log is most useful when you’re trying to fix problems with your PC. If it keeps crashing or shutting down unexpectedly, the log can be used to see if any one thing keeps happening just before the problem – ­ if you find a common entry, it could be the cause.