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Document ID: DJON-3G5Q2G |
Aptiva - Dr. Watson and Microsoft Diagnostics
Applicable to: United States
This information is from Microsoft and may apply to more than one brand of computer. It is not PS/1 or Aptiva-specific.
DrWatson
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DrWatson is a debugging tool designed to provide software programmers with detailed information on the internal state of Windows when a UAE occurs. DrWatson must be running at the time a UAE occurs to extract the internal information from the system.
As DrWatson uses very little memory and does not affect the performance of Windows, we encourage you to install DrWatson if a UAE has occurred before. After DrWatson is installed, information is collected when a UAE occurs and written to a special file (DRWATSON.LOG) located in the Windows directory.
DrWatson is a diagnostic tool, not a cure for a problem. Having DrWatson will not prevent an error from occurring, but the information in DRWATSON.LOG will help Microsoft developers make the next version of Windows even better.
Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD)
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The Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD) program is designed to assist Microsoft customers and Product Support Services (PSS) technicians in solving problems with Microsoft products. MSD identifies system configuration information such as the BIOS, video card type and manufacturer, installed processor(s), I/O port status, operating system version, environment settings, hardware devices attached, and additional software running concurrently with MSD.
MSD should be used in conjunction with DrWatson to provide valuable information on hardware configurations and UAEs. Error reports should include information from both the MSD program and DrWatson. (The section titled "When a UAE Occurs" on page 2 of this application note details the procedure for using MSD with DrWatson.) Installing DrWatson and MSD:
We recommend that you start DrWatson automatically each time you start Windows. This will allow you to
collect critical information each time a UAE occurs.
To install MSD and DrWatson and to start DrWatson automatically when you start Windows, do the following:
1. Place the enclosed disk in drive A.
2. From Windows, start File Manager.
3. From the File menu, choose Copy. In the From and To boxes, type the following:
From: a:\msd.exe
To: c:\
Choose the Copy button. The MSD program is now copied to your root directory (if your root directory is not on drive C,
substitute the correct drive letter in the To box).
4. From the File menu, choose Copy. In the From box, type the following:
a:\drwatson.exe a:\toolhelp.dll
In the To box, type in the path to your Windows directory (for example: "c:\windows" -- without the quotation marks).
Choose the Copy button. The DrWatson files are now copied to your Windows directory.
5. From the File menu, choose Copy. Make a backup copy of your WIN.INI file. For example, if your Windows directory
is called Windows and is on drive C, in the From and To boxes, type the following:
From: c:\windows\win.ini
To: c:\windows\win.bak
Choose the Copy button.
6. Exit File Manager and open Notepad or any text editor. Open the WIN.INI file, and in the [Windows] section, add DrWatson to the
LOAD= line. For example:
[windows]
Beep=yes
Spooler=yes
NullPort=None
LOAD=DRWATSON.EXE
7. Save the WIN.INI file and exit the text editor.
8. Exit and then restart Windows.
DrWatson should now appear as an icon on your desktop.
Using DrWatson
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DrWatson adds a file to your Windows directory called DRWATSON.LOG. If a UAE occurs while DrWatson is running,
DrWatson captures data regarding the internal operations of Windows. In addition, DrWatson prompts you for details
on how the UAE occurred. When you type in your response, please include information on what you were doing or what
steps created the UAE. This information is recorded in the DRWATSON.LOG file and will help our software programmers
track the problems.
At this time, DrWatson does not detect all system errors, so don't be alarmed if DrWatson does not record information
after a particular system error.
Each time a UAE occurs, DrWatson appends new data to DRWATSON.LOG. To prevent this file from growing too large
and to aid our processing, please save DRWATSON.LOG as a different file periodically. (For example, if five UAEs
occur in one day, save DRWATSON.LOG under a different name before you start Windows again the next day.)
To save the file under a different name, type the following at the command prompt before you start Windows:
rename c:\drwatson.log <newname>
where <newname> is any legal MS-DOS filename, such as SEPT06.LOG. If your root directory is not on drive C,
substitute the correct drive letter.
When a UAE Occurs
------------------------------
1. When a UAE occurs, the DrWatson dialog box will appear. Type in a description of what you were doing prior
to receiving the error. Press ENTER.
2. Exit Windows if possible. If exiting is not possible, restart your computer.
3. Change to the root directory, and at the command prompt, type "msd" (without the quotation marks) and press
ENTER to run the MSD program. (For LCD and monochrome screens, type "msd /b" and press ENTER.)
4. Press R to choose Generate Report. Select the Generate To File option. When prompted for a filename, type
"msd.log" (without the quotation marks and press ENTER. Fill in the information requested.
5. Exit MSD by pressing X.
6. Append the MSD log to the DrWatson log by typing the following at the command prompt:
type <path>\MSD.LOG >> <path\drwatson>
where <path\drwatson> is the path and filename of the DrWatson log. For example, if you named your DrWatson log
the default DRWATSON.LOG (in the WINDOWS directory on drive C), type the following:
type c:\msd.log >> c:\windows\drwatson.log
7. After you have logged several UAEs, send us the log by following the instructions listed on page 4 of this application note.
8. After sending us the log, delete the MSD and DrWatson logs (for example, MSD.LOG and DRWATSON.LOG)
from your hard disk.
More Information About Using the Microsoft Diagnostics Program
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The MSD program runs with MS-DOS and the DOS compatibility box of OS/2.
MSD presents a Main Menu screen split into two sections. The upper section presents a summary of information that
the utility has gathered from your system. For additional information on any category, use the quick key commands, or
move the highlight bar (using the arrow keys) to any category and press the ENTER key. A dialog box appears that
presents detailed information for that category. Return to the Main Menu screen by pressing the ESC key.
The following is a brief explanation of the categories in the first section of the MSD program:
Category Description
-------------- -----------------
BIOS Displays the BIOS manufacturer, date, version, and type
Processor Displays the processor type and math coprocessor, if installed
Memory Displays a map of memory from 768K to 1 MB and information concerning the configuration of RAM
and ROM in your computer system
Video Shows your video card's manufacturer and model, BIOS version, memory, and current video mode
Network Detects whether a network is MS-Net or compatible, or Novell
Mouse Shows the DOS mouse driver version number, mouse type, and other information concerning the mouse
Game Adapter Dynamically displays game card status for up to two game devices or joysticks
CD-ROM Displays the Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions (MSCDEX.EXE) version number and drive letter
Operating System Displays the operating system version number and path from which MSD was run
Parallel Ports Dynamically displays the status of installed parallel ports and their port addresses
Serial Ports Dynamically displays the status of active serial ports and their current configurations
Disk Drives Scans all local and logical drives and displays the total and available bytes
IRQ Status Shows the current IRQ (hardware interrupt) status
Environment Displays environment variables
AUTOEXEC.BAT Lists the AUTOEXEC.BAT file
CONFIG.SYS Lists the CONFIG.SYS file
The lower section of the MSD screen includes additional functions you can use with your system, as follows:
Function Description
------------ -----------------
Resident Programs Displays the names of programs loaded in RAM at the time MSD was executed, their
locations, and their sizes; programs may be loaded into multiple segments of RAM and
have multiple entries in the table.
Device Table Displays software and hardware device drivers installed; these include default devices, such
as COM1 or LPT1, and user-installed devices loaded from the CONFIG.SYS file, such as
HIMEM.SYS or EMM386.SYS.
Printer Test Prints a page to test the connection between the computer and either a TTY or PostScript-type
printer.
Generate Report Prints a "faxable" report to a normal TTY printer or to a file.
File Viewer Views text files by entering the path and filename.
Memory Browser Searches selected ROM and RAM areas for search strings such as "Copyright" and "Version".
About Displays the MSD version number and copyright information.
Exit Exits MSD
Keywords: Dr. Watson Microsoft Diagnostic Aptips
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Search Keywords |
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Hint Category |
DOS/Windows 3.x, Utility Software, Diagnostics | |
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Date Created |
14-04-97 | |
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Last Updated |
17-02-99 | |
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Revision Date |
16-02-2000 | |
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Brand |
IBM Aptiva | |
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Product Family |
Aptiva, PS/1 | |
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Machine Type |
2011, 2144, 2168, 2121, 2123, 2133, 2155 | |
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Model |
1R2; 66P; 67P; 86P; OR8; 1R1; 1R3; 1R5; 22P; 24P; 25P; 27P; 29P; 63P; 67P; 82P; 83P; OR6; OR7; OR9; 1R0; 1R1; 26P; 62P; C01; C34; M01; NEA; T35; U35; A62; A82; A94; B82; C42; C92; G42; M82; S92; 081; 087; 131; 137; K37; N31; N81; 11E; 13T; 14C; 16E; 17A; 18A; 18T; 19C; 21C; 23C; 28A; 46M; 51D; D50; G11; G13; G43; G46; G46; G49; G49; G50; G53; M40; M40; M46; M46; P11; P13; P43; P50; P53; R04; R05; R06; R09; R38; R42; R43; R44; R84; R86; R87; RO3; S11; S13; S43; S45; S45; S47; S47; S48; S48; S50; S53; W11; W13; W42; W42; W43; W45; W45; W50; W53; 20E; 22T; 24C; 24M; 28V; 39E; 41T; 43C; 45V; 48E; 50T; 52C; 55V; 72E; 74T; 76C; 78C; 79C; 81A; 82E; 84T; 86C; 87C; CC1; D53; G14; G44; G52; G54; G72; G76; G78; G82; NM1; P14; P44; P57; P71; P74; P76; P78; P84; R14; R15; R16; R17; R18; R51; R52; R57; R58; R62; R63; R67; R71; R89; R93; R96; R97; S14; S44; S50; S54; S70; S75; S76; S78; S80; W14; W44; W48; W54; W67; W76; W77; W78; Z33; 28V; 31E; 33T; 37C; 38C; 51E; 54T; 56C; 57C; 88V; BB1; G57; G87; OR1; OR3; OR4; OR5; P89; R28; R29; R31; R74; R78; R82; R98; S55; S85; SR1; US1; W52; W82; 2R3; S15; M30; M50; M60; M70 | |
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