System information programs are a dime-a-dozen. Some are quite basic and some are quite sophisticated. There is only one that I am aware of that has WHS-specific information listings, WHS Doctor.
WHS Doctor is not a WHS add-in. There is not even an installer. It is a simple executable, so simply locate it anywhere you desire. As such, you will need to log in directly to your WHS, RDC, or use Advanced Admin Console (or one of a few other add-ins) to make use of the program.
When you open the program, you are presented with the following screen.
On the left are groupings of specific system information that you can obtain about your WHS. Along the top are the program options. Highlight a grouping on the left, click on the check-box, and click on the Run! button. The result will be a simple text listing of that specific grouping of system information. At that point, you can click on the copy button which will allow you to paste that data into a text file of your choosing.
Clicking on the About button brings up this cute looking “About” screen.
That is that. Obviously, I only showed one screen of system information. Download it, and try the others to see what kind of information you can glean from your system.
For your reference, the general Features Groupings are noted below:
Features:
- System Information
- BIOS Information
- System Drivers
- System Drivers PNP
- Windows Services
- Network Configuration
- Windows Firewall
- Windows Hosts File
- Startup Programs
- USB Controller
- WHS Add-ins
- WHS Files
- WHS Console Log
- Grid Junction Diagnostics
- Tasks Overview
In the end, what is my opinion of the program? Well, for the most part, read the first paragraph once again. I would classify this as one of those dime-a-dozen programs, with a WHS-specific twist. There is a significant amount of information to be had in one handy little utility. How useful that information is can be debated, but so can the information from many of these types of programs.
Likes:
- The WHS-specific “twist”.
- A lot of system data can be had from one application/location.
Dislikes:
- When one clicks on the check box of an un-highlighted entry, all this does the first time is highlight that entry. You must highlight and then check. You should be able to click on the check box without having to first highlight the item.
- Please make it an add-in. It is a much more universal WHS app at that point.
In order to make this program really nice, I will simply provide a screen-shot of my favorite system information program, Everest.
Just about any system-related information can be obtained with Everest. Grouped nicely, nice graphics, links galore for specific components, etc. This comparison is a little (a lot?) unfair, but you get the “picture”. WHS Doctor has an advantage in that it is written specifically for a WHS, but it could be a killer app if jazzed up a bit.
Author: Alexander Kent
Version Reviewed: 1.2.5.0
Release: 12May2009
