How To Use Computer Management in Windows XP

This article describes how to use the Computer Management tool in Microsoft Windows XP.

Computer Management Overview

Computer Management is a collection of Windows administrative tools that you can use to manage a local or remote computer. The tools are organized into a single console, which makes it easy to view administrative properties and to gain access to the tools that are necessary to perform your computer-management tasks.

The Computer Management Console

The Computer Management console consists of a window divided into two panes. The left pane contains the console tree; the right pane contains details. When you click an item in the console tree, information about that item is displayed in the details pane. The information that is displayed is specific to the item that you select.


The administrative tools in Computer Management are grouped into the following three categories in the console tree:

• System Tools
• Storage
• Services and Applications

Each category includes several tools or services.

System Tools

• Event Viewer
  
  
  Use the Event Viewer tool to manage and view events that are recorded in the Application, Security, and System logs. You can monitor the logs to track security events and to identify possible software, hardware, and system problems.
• Shared Folders
  
  
  Use the Shared Folders tool to view connections and resource in use on the computer. You can create, view, and manage shares, view open files and sessions, and close files and disconnect sessions.
  
• Local Users and Groups
  
  
  Use the Local Users and Groups tool to create and manage your local user accounts and groups. Local Users and Groups is available only in Windows XP Professional.
  
• Performance Logs and Alerts
  
  
  Use the Performance Logs and Alerts tool to configure performance logs and alerts to monitor and collect data about your computer's performance.
  
• Device Manager
  
  
  Use Device Manager to view the hardware devices installed in your computer, update device drivers, modify hardware settings, and troubleshoot device conflicts.

Storage

• Removable Storage
  
  
  Use the Removable Storage tool to track your removable storage media and manage the libraries, or data-storage systems, that contain them.
  
• Disk Defragmenter
  
  
  Use the Disk Defragmenter tool to analyze and defragment volumes on your hard disks.
  
• Disk Management
  
  
  Use the Disk Management tool to perform disk-related tasks such as converting disks or creating and formatting volumes. Disk Management helps you manage your hard disks, and the partitions or volumes that they contain.
  

Services and Applications

• Services
  
  
  Use Services to manage services on local and remote computers. You can start, stop, pause, resume, or disable a service.
  
• WMI Control
  
  
  Use WMI Control to configure and manage the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service.
  
• Indexing Service
  
  
  Use Indexing Service to manage the Indexing service, and to create and configure additional catalogs to store index information.
  

NOTE: The actual set of tools and services that is listed in Computer Management depends on the services that are installed on the host computer.

How to Use Computer Management on the Local Computer

NOTE: You must be logged on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group view and modify most properties and perform most computer-management tasks.


To start and use Computer Management on the local computer:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
   
   
   The Computer Management window for the local computer is displayed. "Computer Management (Local)" is displayed at the root of the console tree.
2. In the console tree, expand System Tools, Storage, or Services and Applications to view the tools and services in each of these containers.
3. Click the item that you want (for example, Event Viewer) to use the tool, and then view the information that is associated with it.

How to Use Computer Management on a Remote Computer

NOTE: You must be logged on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to view and modify most properties and perform most computer-management tasks.


To connect to and use Computer Management on another computer:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
2. Right-click Computer Management (Local), and then click Connect to another computer.
3. Click Another Computer, and then type the name of the computer that you want to manage remotely, or click Browse to locate the computer. Click OK and then click OK to return to the Computer Management window. The Computer Management window of the remote computer is displayed. The name of the remote computer is displayed at the root of the console tree.
4. In the console tree, expand System Tools, Storage, or Services and Applications to view the tools and services in each of these containers.
5. Click the item that you want (for example, Event Viewer) to use the tool, and then view the information that is associated with it.

How to Use Help in Computer Management

To use Computer Management Help or to use the Help files for any of the individual administrative tools that are contained in Computer Management:

1. Start Computer Management.
2. Use either of the following steps:
   • In the console tree, right-click the item that you want (for example, Computer Management or Device Manager), and then click Help.
   • Click the item in the console tree (for example, Device Manager or Computer Management), and then click Help on the Action menu.