The Dr. Watson utility provided in all Windows versions is used to trace problems that appear under certain conditions, such as starting or using a certain application. When Dr. Watson is started, it runs in the background with only an icon appearing on the taskbar to signify that it is present. As the system operates, the Dr. Watson utility monitors the code moving through the system and logs its key events in the DRWATSON. LOG file.

The Device Manger will display an exclamation point (!) inside a yellow circle whenever a device is experiencing a direct hardware conflict with another device. The nature of the problem is described in the device's Properties dialog box.

This arrangement can be established through the Device Manager's Disable in This Hardware Profile option. This setting will keep the driver from loading up until it is reactivated, and is located in the Properties window for that particular device.

Dr. Watson also can be started through the Tools menu in the System Information screen. This option is located in the Programs\Accessories\System Tools path.

The System Configuration Utility (MSCONFIG. EXE) enables you to examine the system's configuration through a check-box system. By turning different configuration settings on and off, problem settings can be isolated and corrected by a process of elimination. You can access this utility through the System Information screen. From the Tools menu, select the System Configuration Utility. This tool is especially useful in controlling which programs will load at startup.

Windows 2000 includes two Registry editors: RegEdit and RegEdt32. Both utilities enable you to add, edit, and remove Registry entries and to perform other basic functions. However, specific functions can be performed only in one editor or the other. RegEdt32 is the Registry editor used with Windows NT/2000. RegEdit is the Registry editor introduced with Windows 95.

The file system used on CD-ROM disk is called the CDFS (Compact Disk File System).

The Backup utility is located in C:\WINNT\ SYSTEM32 in Windows NT/2000.

After the primary partition has been established and properly configured, an additional partition, referred to as an extended partition, is also permitted. However, the extended partition can be subdivided into 23 logical drives. The extended partition cannot be deleted if logical drives have been defined within it.

The DOS CHKDSK (Check Disk) command is a command-line utility that has remained in use with Windows 3.x, 9x, NT, and 2000, and is used to recover lost allocation units from the hard drive. These lost units occur when an application terminates unexpectedly and causes the file management system to lose track of where some parts of the file are stored. The total file becomes segmented into undefined pieces that can still be by the utility but cannot be associated with a particular filename in the FAT. Over a period of lost units can pile up and occupy large amounts of disk space. To remove lost units from the drive, an /F modifier is added to the command so that the lost units will be converted into files that can be investigated, and removed if necessary. In some cases, the converted file is a usable data file that can be rebuilt for use with an application. The CHKDSK /F command is often used before running a drive defragmentation program.