Windows 2000 includes a variety of utilities for monitoring computer or network use and troubleshooting. This section examines methods of monitoring system performance, optimizing, and solving common problems.
Windows 2000 includes the Performance Console for monitoring system performance and the Event Viewer for displaying error messages and audit results. These are described in the following sections.
The Performance Console snap-in displays a graph of the system’s current performance and can optionally display a report or create a log. To start Performance Console, select Performance from the Administrative Tools Control Panel applet.
Performance Console monitors data items called counters ; it includes a number of objects that contain counters for specific users. The following objects are commonly used:
- Processor
Includes counters related to the system processor (CPU). The Processor Time counter measures of the processor load.
- Memory
- PagingFile
- LogicalDisk
Includes counters related to logical disk drives (volumes). These counters are disabled by default.
- Process
Allows you to view information about a specific process. Useful for monitoring server processes.
Event Viewer, similar to the utility of the same name in Windows NT 4.0, displays error messages and other information about past events. In Windows 2000, Event Viewer is an MMC snap-in. To access this snap-in, select Event Viewer from the Administrative Tools Control Panel applet.
Event Viewer displays three separate logs. For each log, events are displayed with their corresponding type, date, time, and source. Events are categorized by type, including information, warning, and error. The following logs are available:
- Application log
Includes events logged by applications, and such problems as application crashes.
- Security log
Includes messages relating to security. Security problems, such as incorrect logons, are included in this log if auditing is enabled. Security auditing is disabled by default.
- System log
Includes system error messages and status messages for system reboots and other events. If system events are selected for auditing, these are also included in this log.
If a Windows 2000 computer encounters a problem, it is often unable to boot correctly. The following sections describe some common problems with the Windows 2000 boot process.
At the boot menu, you can press F8 to display a
menu of boot
options. These are useful for troubleshooting a computer that will
not boot normally or that encounters problems during the boot
process. The menu includes the following options:
- Safe Mode
This basic mode does not load network drivers, sets the display to VGA mode, and does not run applications set to run at startup. This often eliminates the cause of the boot failure and allows you to access the system to correct the problem.
- Safe Mode with Networking
This mode is identical to safe mode, but also loads network drivers.
- Safe Mode with Command Prompt
This mode is identical to safe mode, but displays a command prompt instead of the GUI. This mode does not include networking support.
- Enable Boot Logging
If this option is enabled, events related to the boot process are logged to the winnt tbtlog.txt file.
- Enable VGA Mode
If this option is enabled, the system boots normally, but with the default VGA video driver.
- Last Known Good Configuration
If this option is selected, the system loads the control set from the Last Known Good control set, which is created after each successful boot. This often eliminates boot problems.
- Directory Services Restore Mode
This option is used to restore the Active Directory database and is available only on domain controllers running Windows 2000 Server.
- Debugging Mode
Enables debugging features. This option is available only on Windows 2000 Server.
- Boot Normally
Exits the Advanced options screen and boots normally.
Windows 2000 supports the use of an emergency repair disk (ERD) to fix some problems with the registry or system files. You were prompted to create an ERD during installation.
To create an updated ERD, use the
RDISK
/S command at the
command prompt. This disk should be updated frequently. Attempting to
repair the system using an older disk can cause more problems than it
solves.
To recover using the ERD, boot the Windows 2000 installation floppy
or CD-ROM. When the installation program starts, press
R to repair the current installation. Insert the
disk and press D to recover using the disk.
The Windows 2000 Recovery Console is available by
pressing R after booting the Setup disks or
CD-ROM. This loads a DOS-like command console that lets you perform
basic file management tasks on FAT, FAT32, or NTFS volumes; this may
be useful as a last resort to correct a problem that’s
preventing the computer from booting.
To start the recovery console, boot the Windows 2000 installation
floppy or CD-ROM. When the installation program starts, press
R to repair the current installation. Press
C from the repair options to start the console.
At the console, type help
for a list of available commands. The
following are some of the most useful commands:
- Cd/Chdir
Change directory (without options, displays current directory)
- Copy
- Del/Delete
- Dir
Display a directory listing for the current directory
- Disable
Stop a system service
- Enable
Start a system service
- Exit
Exit the recovery console
- Fdisk
Manage disk partitions
- Fixboot
Fix a corrupt boot sector
- Fixmbr
Fix a corrupt MBR (master boot record)
- Format
Format a disk partition
- Help
Display available commands
- Logon
Log on to access secure Windows 2000 files
- Map
Display current drive mappings
- Md
Make a directory
- More
Display a text file, one page at a time
- Rd/Rmdir
Remove a directory
- Ren/Rename
Rename a file
- Systemroot
Switch to the system root directory (typically c:windows)