Start Windows® Explorer and go to the folder where you saved WinAudit.exe, double click on the programme to start it and then click on the Audit button.

Unicode Note:
The file name for the Unicode version is WinAuditu.exe .

Selecting Options

WinAudit can generate copious amounts of information that is of interest only to the specialist user. The default behaviour is to audit all categories except for Loaded Modules, System Libraries and Finding Files. To alter the content of the report, on menu select View + Audit Options and check the boxes that interest you. Next, click Apply then File + Audit to start auditing your computer.

Perhaps the most important information is contained in the System Overview and Installed Software categories. The more obscure details related to computer inventory, diagnostics and technical support tend to be further down the list.

	System Overview The computer's identification, asset/service tags and an overview of its resources.
	Installed Software Itemised list of installed software, licenses, usage etc.
	Operating System Name, registration and version details.
	Peripherals Lists standard peripherals as well as network printers for which connection information is stored locally. WinAudit does not interrogate remote/networked peripherals.
	Security Entries from the security log, open ports, important security settings as well as software and updates.
	Groups and Users Groups and user accounts. Includes details on policies, password ages etc. Available on Windows® NT4 and above.
	Scheduled Tasks Lists the programmes set to run at scheduled intervals.
	Uptime Statistics Statistics on system availability. Available on Windows® NT4 and above.
	Error Logs Errors posted by the operating system, services and applications to system log files. Available on Windows® NT4 and above.
	Environment Variables The evnviroment variables of the running process.
	Regional Settings Selected items pertaining to the computer's regional configuration.
	Windows Network Details of connected sessions, files in use and shared resources
	Network TCP/IP Adapter name, IP address, DHCP details, connection status/speed etc.
	Network BIOS Adapter configurations showing type, MAC address, session details etc.
	Hardware Devices Enumeration of devices and their status. Requires Windows® 98 or newer.
	Display Capabilities Text, line, curve, polygon and raster drawing capabilities.
	Display Adapters A list of the computer's display adapters/ graphics cards. Requires Windows® 98 or newer.
	Installed Printers Locally installed printers, network printers are ignored by design.
	BIOS Version System and video identification and dates.
	System Management Extensive information ranging from chassis to system slots to memory devices.
	Processors Name, speed, instructions, cache etc.
	Memory RAM and swap file usage.
	Physical Disks Disk detection showing capacity, manufacturer, serial number etc. On Windows® 95, Windows® 98 and Windows® Me available via the menu only.
	Drives Details of usage and geometry. Network drives are ignored by design.
	Communication Ports Parallel and serial ports for peripherals.
	Startup Programs Itemised list of automatically started program(me)s .
	Services Itemized list of installed services (Windows NT® platform only)
	Running Programs List of program(me)s currently in use with a brief description and memory usage.
	ODBC Information The Open Database Connectivty drivers and data source names found on the computer.
	Software metering Shows a list of programs that have been used and how often( Windows NT® platform only).
	User Logon Statistics Shows summary statistics of the users that have logged on to the computer (Windows NT® platform only).
	Loaded Modules List of files loaded into the computer's memory.
	System Files Files used by the operating system. Includes executables, dynamic libraries, ActiveX controls and virtual drivers. This is a lengthy task and may take some time to complete.
	Non-Windows Executables Scan all local hard drives executables (.exe) excluding the Operating System's directory. This is a lengthy task and may take some time to complete. By design, WinAudit will neither scan networked drives nor follow links.
	Find Files Scan all local hard drives for files of given types. In the text box enter a space separated list of file extensions e.g. zip html mpeg . This is a lengthy task and may take some time to complete. By design, WinAudit will neither scan networked drives nor follow links.

Operating System Differences

Microsoft® Windows® comes in several versions and WinAudit adjusts what it reports based on the capabilities of the operating system. While the report content is quite uniform across operating systems, on Windows® 95, Windows® 98 and Windows® Me there is/are no:

Software installation dates.

User privileges.

Group or user accounts are available.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) details.

Services.

Audit or error logs.

Number of connections to a shared drive.

Support for the universal character set (Unicode).

Software Metering.

User Logon Statistics.

WinAudit runs on Windows NT® 3.51, albeit with reduced functionality. The list below itemises the operating system version required to report on certain functionality.

Windows® NT4 level functionality is required for port to process mapping.

Windows® 98 or newer is required to list open ports, hardware devices, display adapters and extended display identification data.

Windows® 2000 or newer is required for software usage, some adapter settings and the Active Directory® site name.

Windows® 2000 with service pack 3 or newer is required for automatic update status and update agent history.

Windows® XP or newer is required for network connection status. System restore points

Windows® XP with service pack 2 or newer is required for Windows® Firewall settings and to list those programmes permitted to execute data.

Windows® Vista or newer is required for Task Scheduler 2.0 type tasks.