Monitoring system performance is crucial for maintaining the health and efficiency of a Windows environment. Windows provides several built-in tools that allow users to monitor various aspects of system performance, such as CPU usage, memory usage, disk activity, and network activity. This article will explore how to use these tools effectively.

Examples:

1. Task Manager:

   • Task Manager is a straightforward tool for monitoring system performance. To open Task Manager, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or right-click the taskbar and select "Task Manager."
   • Navigate to the "Performance" tab to view real-time data on CPU, memory, disk, and network usage.
   • Use the "Processes" tab to see which applications and processes are consuming resources.

2. Performance Monitor:

   • Performance Monitor provides more detailed and customizable performance data.
   • To open Performance Monitor, type perfmon in the Run dialog (Win + R) and press Enter.
   • In Performance Monitor, you can add counters to track specific metrics. Right-click on the graph area, select "Add Counters," and choose the metrics you want to monitor, such as "Processor Time" or "Available MBytes."

3. Resource Monitor:

   • Resource Monitor offers a detailed view of CPU, memory, disk, and network usage.
   • Open Resource Monitor by typing resmon in the Run dialog (Win + R) and pressing Enter.
   • Use the tabs to explore different resource categories and identify processes that are using significant resources.

4. Command Line Tools:

   • WMIC (Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line): Use WMIC to query system information. For example, to check CPU usage, open Command Prompt and type:

     wmic cpu get loadpercentage

   • PowerShell: PowerShell can be used for more advanced monitoring. For example, to get a quick overview of CPU usage, open PowerShell and run:

     Get-Process | Sort-Object CPU -Descending | Select-Object -First 10

5. Event Viewer:

   • Event Viewer logs system and application events, which can be useful for diagnosing performance issues.
   • Open Event Viewer by typing eventvwr in the Run dialog (Win + R) and pressing Enter.
   • Navigate through the logs to find warnings or errors related to performance.