XP Settings The workbook, XPsettings.xls requires Excel 2000, XP,
2003 or later to run. It is designed to
use WMI script to analyze local computer settings on a PC with WinXP but can
work on other operating systems if WMI is present.
It does contain subroutines
and you will be warned when you open the workbook or you may even be prevented
from opening it if your security settings are set to high (default for an
Office XP install). You can choose to
disable the macros and use Alt plus F11 to review all the code on first opening
if you wish to check it out before allowing the subroutines to run.
The concept of the workbook
is to document settings in a way that is easy to save as opposed to using
msconfig or Ctrl-Alt-Del or other methods that generally don't provide an easy
way to provide a report at a certain date and save the summary information.
When you open the workbook,
you're presented with a userform that contains 6 buttons plus a 7th button to
close the form. If you close the form,
you can bring it back by pressing Alt plus F8 and running the macro to return
the form. Clicking any of the first 6
buttons causes a new workbook to be created (which can later be saved) with
documentation on the PC it is being run on.
Button 1: Programs Launched at Startup; Report includes Command line, Description,
and location where it is launced from.
Button 2: Processes Running; Report includes Process,
Memeory Use and command line.
Button 3: Services Running; Report shows the service and its state.
Button 4: Restore Points: Reports show restore point names (if any
exist) and Creation Time.
Button 5: Installed Software; Reports show CAption, ID number, Installation
date/time, Location, Vendor, and Version.
Button 6: Environmental Variables
After you close the form, you
can toggle to the various workbooks just created (named Book1, Book2...etc.) by
clicking the Window drop down menu at the top of the Excel Window. You can filter, sort, or otherwise alter the
presentation and do a File > SaveAs if you want to retain any or all of the
reports.
The download is a compressed
folder, Fld15, containing the files, ‘XPSettings.xls’ and ReadMe.txt.