Capturing event logs
Event logs are special files that record significant events on your computer, such as when a program encounters an error.
Windows 7 (source)
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Open the Control Panel from the Start Menu.
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Open Administrative Tools in the Control Panel.
Note: If Administrative Tools is not available, change View by to Large icons at the top right of the Control Panel. -
Open Event Viewer in the Administrative Tools window.
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Expand Windows Logs and then select System or any of the other logs Windows 7 collects. Double-click one of the logged events in the top center pane of the Event Viewer to see details about the event.
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The Event Properties window shows details about the selected event.
Windows 8 (source)
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From the Start screen of Windows, type Computer.
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Right-click the Computer app. Additional options will appear at the bottom of the screen.
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At the bottom of the screen, click Manage.
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In the Computer Management window, click the arrow next to Event Viewer.
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Click the arrow next to Windows Logs.
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Right-click Application and select Save All Events As…
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Save the .evtx file to your Desktop with the name Application.
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Right-click System and select Save All Events As…
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Save the .evtx file to your Desktop with the name System.
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Close the Computer Management window.