8+ Free Windows Troubleshooting Tools
An operating system is a complex beast. If things go wrong with Windows, it can be difficult to track down the source of the glitch. But you can put away the screwdriver, sledgehammer and chainsaw, because there are plenty of free troubleshooters you can use to fix most problems. Here's my recommended list of free Windows problem solvers… |
Fixing Windows Problems and Annoyances
What's keeping you from opening or deleting a file or folder? Why do certain programs start automatically when you don't want them to? Why can't you install or uninstall a program? Why doesn't my sound or printer work? Why does an app just sit there, apparently doing nothing, while the activity light of your hard drive flashes busily? These are just a few of the annoyances that can drive you crazy.
Windows has some built-in tools, such as Task Manager, to assist in troubleshooting. There are also built-in troubleshooters you can use. On a Windows 7/8/10 or 11 system, just click the Windows button on the lower left, type "troubleshooting" and press Enter to access all the troubleshooting tools in one place. If Windows shows “No recommended troubleshooters” click the “Additional troubleshooters” link. You’ll find specific troubleshooters to find and fix problems with internet connections, playing audio, printing, Bluetooth connections, keyboard settings, network issues, battery life, speech-to-text, video playback, and a few others.
But many advanced users turn to other free Windows troubleshooting tools that provide much more information about potential causes of problems and options for solving them.
Sysinternals Process Explorer has been described as "Task Manager on steroids." It displays a tree-view of running processes, organized by which process spawned which other(s). You can sort the display in other ways, too. Process Explorer shows a lot more details about processes than Task Manager and lets you do more than just kill a single process. Processes, or whole trees of them, can be killed, frozen, or resumed. You can also find the process controlling a given window by pointing at it, or search for any running process, handle, or DLL.
Microsoft's Resource Monitor is built into Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 . It charts the way resources are used in your system, helping you pinpoint exactly what is gobbling up CPU cycles, RAM, or disk space. Click Start, then Run, then enter resmon.exe to start Resource Monitor. You may be prompted for an administrator password.
Autoruns is another Sysinternals tool. It displays all of the programs that are loaded when Windows starts up, from apps in your Startup folder to scheduled tasks, services, device drivers, Sidebar gadgets, and codecs. Autoruns can show you startup items that you may not need to have running all the time, consuming system resources.
Unlocker is a handy solution to the "file in use by another program" annoyance. Just right-click on the stubborn file, choose Unlocker, and you can see what program has a lock on the file. Then you can end the offending process, make a copy or the file, or just release the lock that the process has on the file. Unlocker is free, but the author requests a small optional donation. Scroll down and look for the “Download Now” link.
Speccy and Belarc Advisor are two additional tools you may find useful. These program will give you detailed information on all your computer's hardware components and installed software. You can read more about them in my article A Look INSIDE Your Computer.
TestDisk – If your hard drive appears to be mangled, don't give up hope before trying TestDisk. This powerful portable utility can recover lost hard drive partitions, and fix problems with drives that won't boot up. TestDisk will analyze your disk, partitions, boot sector, and can help you recover deleted files, and even rebuild scrambled file systems.
Reset Button? – For badly borked systems, you may be tempted to just hit a big red Reset Button and start from scratch. It's possible to restore your computer to that shiny just-out-of-the-box condition, but I recommend caution. See my article Should You Press the Windows RESET Button? for details on that process.
Some of these free Windows troubleshooting tools are created by and for programmers and other tech-savvy users. But if you take a little time to learn about them and proceed carefully, you can learn a lot about your system and solve some nagging problems. I do recommend that you make a system restore point before making any changes, so you can use System Restore to undo any accidental damage.
Do you have a favorite Windows troubleshooter? Post your comment or question below…
This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 9 May 2022
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Most recent comments on "8+ Free Windows Troubleshooting Tools"
Posted by:
Jay B, Texas
09 May 2022
I have pinned both Task Manager and Resource Monitor to my task bar in Windows 10. I also have the Sysinternals Process Explorer configured to run at startup on my accounts on my computers. Process Explorer certainly provides much more information than does Task Manager. Unfortunately, at least when running it on a Windows 10 system some of its power has been constrained, it is not able to kill tasks and other users logged in on the computer cannot be Logged off. That is one of the reasons that I pinned the Task Manager to the task bar, it as far as I can tell is not constrained from killing tasks and signing off users.
Posted by:
Ernest N. Wilcox Jr.
09 May 2022
I'm not sure if this will make any difference, (I haven't explored the app yet) but you can Alt-Click Sysinternals Process Explorer, then select 'Run as Administrator' to give the app elevated (Administrative) privileges. If it has an option to log out a user, running it with elevated privileges may eliminate any 'constraints' on what it's features.
Posted by:
Ernest N. Wilcox Jr.
09 May 2022
WARNING! Unlocker is flagged as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) by Microsoft Security! I strongly recommend that you do NOT download it. The download links on the Unlocker website do not download the program, instead, they lead to a uniblue website that tells me "No sponsors
www.uniblue.com currently does not have any sponsors for you."
I did an Internet search for Unlocker. The first result took me to Softpedia. The download link on Softpedia took me to the Unlocker website. The second search result took me to Filehippo. The download link downloaded the file - and triggered a Microsoft Security Notification informing me that I was attempting to download a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP). I clicked the notification, then in the Microsoft Security page that loaded, I chose to remove it.
To my fellow Bob Ranken readers, if you attempted to download Unlocker and had an experience similar to mine with the Unlocker webpage, stop with that. Do not try to find a link (other than perhaps a new Unlocker website) to download the file, because if your Windows Security settings are not configured as stringently as mine, you may regret doing so.
My2Cents,
Ernie
Posted by:
Russ
09 May 2022
It looks like, Bob, that you have missed on of the best free tools available. It's one I have been using for years and solves myriad Windows computer problems. It's so good, for years I have run it once a month, whether I felt the need to run it or not.
It's called (simply) Windows Repair and it is found at https://tweaking.com . You'll find other great free application there, too, and I've never had a problem with ANY of their applications (though I've not used them all). Windows Repair is best run in the "Safe Mode", though it can be run in the usual Windows OS mode. Thankfully, the application provides an easy way to get into the Safe Mode. Once the application completes, another reboot and you'll be back in the regular Windows OS.
I recommend Windows Repair highly. It's made the repairs I've needed many times and helped immensely to keep my computer(s) running properly.
Posted by:
Russ
09 May 2022
I'd also recommend (for a look inside your computer) the application HWiNFO64 (or HWiNFO32 for those using 32 bit Windows computers). Found at https://www.hwinfo.com , it is my "go to" application to see what is actually inside my computer. I find it easier to actually see what I have inside the computer and easier to use than the two applications you have recommended. I do have Belarc Advisor installed on all 8 of my machines, and find it is occasionally necessary, but use HWiNFO64 much more frequently. And with HWiNFO available, Speccy is not necessary at all.
Posted by:
Frank
10 May 2022
I have been trying to uninstall some leftover FoxitReader softwear. Can find a way to do this. Any suggestions, PLEASE?
Posted by:
RandiO
10 May 2022
@Frank:
Revo/IObit/Geek/Total/Wise/Ashampoo/Advanced/Absolute/Comodo/Puran-"Uninstallers" all try to clean the left-overs upon an uninstall using the software-provider uninstaller package. https://alternativeto.net/software/revo-uninstaller/?p=4
https://www.startpage.com/do/dsearch?query=Revo+uninstaller+alternatives&language=english&cat=web&pl=ext-ff&extVersion=1.0.0
I am a long time Revo (but Pro PAYware version)
Posted by:
Robert K
10 May 2022
Frank,
Privazer is great for cleanup and it also has a feature called "Delete Without a Trace" Get the free version here:
https://privazer.com/en/download.php
I would also recommend Revo Uninstaller as well.
Posted by:
Frank
10 May 2022
Thanks @RandiO and RobertK. I will let you know if I am successful.
Posted by:
Frank
10 May 2022
@RandiO and @Robert K. Gentlemen, Privazer is an amazing tool. However, it left 28 items that still require me to re-install Foxit Reader to access these files. I open to other suggestions. Thanks for the help. IT is much appreciated.
Posted by:
Robert K
12 May 2022
Frank,
Try the free version of Revo Uninstaller:
https://www.revouninstaller.com/revo-uninstaller-free-download/
Posted by:
BaliRob
15 May 2022
I can endorse Revo Uninstaller and have used it since its inception The free version is totally effective and I feel guilty everytime I use it for not having purchased it- but, if not impecunious, I
would pay my dues without hesitation.