One hidden-away tool in Windows 10 is the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool. It’s not known by many people and is not something you really need to know about until you need it. Regardless, it’s good to learn about this tool, what its job is, and when it will be useful.
Let’s explore the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool and what it does.
Related: How to View and Delete Diagnostic Data on Windows 10
What is Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool? It's a tool which is used by Microsoft Support to diagnose Windows problem.You can use the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool to collect information about problems you might be experiencing with your computer.
Microsoft Windows 7 Diagnostic Tool
What Is the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT)?
This tool isn’t like other diagnostic tools. While Windows 10’s other tools tend to fix and repair things, the MSDT only reports what’s happening on your computer. Even worse, you can’t even run it yourself — if you try, you’ll be prompted for a passkey that you won’t have!
The reason for this is because the MSDT is part of a larger support system. It’s only used if you’recurrently talking to a Microsoft technician about a problem with your computer, and the technician decides logs of what’s going on are needed.
When this happens, the technician will give you a passcode to enter into the MSDT. The tool will then begin tracking what you’re doing on the computer and send data to Microsoft for diagnostics. The technician may ask you to perform specific actions or run certain tools to get a better idea of what your PC is doing.
Windows 7 Forums is the largest help and support community, providing friendly help and advice for Microsoft Windows 7 Computers such as Dell, HP, Acer, Asus or a custom build. Hallo, I keep getting a 'msdt.exe file is corrupt' message in my system tray. Msdt.; 5 minutes to read; In this article Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8. Invokes a troubleshooting pack at the command line or as part of an automated script, and enables additional options without user input. System File Checker is a utility included with every Windows version that allows you scan and restore corrupted system files. Use the SFC tool to fix missing or corrupt msdt.exe files (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10): Hit the Windows Start button; In the search box, type 'cmd' but DO NOT PRESS 'ENTER'.
How to Run the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool
If the technician does ask you to boot up the MSDT, it’s very easy. Press the Start button at the bottom left, then type
MSDT
. Click on the entry that appears or press the Enter key.Unfortunately, that’s as far as you can go – it’ll then ask you for a passcode, which you won’t have unless you’re in a conversation with a technician who explicitly gave you one. It’s good to know in advance, however, so you’re ready when a Microsoft technician asks you to open it during tech support.
How to Diagnose Your Own Computer
If you’d rather not wait for a technician to give you a passkey and want to jump into diagnosing your own PC, you can. You won’t be using the MSDT, however; instead, you’ll use the System Diagnostic Report.
Starting it up is easy: click the Start button, then type
run
. Click the Run command that appears or press Enter.Once the Run command window is open, type
perfmon /report
into the command line and press Enter.A window will pop up and run for sixty seconds. Once it’s done, it’ll give you a rundown of any errors or worrying signs it encountered. If you’re just checking for general system errors, feel free to wait for the sixty seconds.
Otherwise, if you’re trying to troubleshoot something specific, perform the action during the sixty-second window and see if
perfmon
catches the problem.Doing the Diagnostics
While it’s very easy to open the MSDT, there’s no reason to unless a technician asks you to. If you actually want to perform diagnostics on your Windows machine, perfmon is a great way to do a quick health check.
What are your favorite tools and programs for troubleshooting a Windows 10 machine? Let us know below!
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