Computer and Software Support


msinfo32

This page is from Microsoft

Updated: January 21, 2005

Opens the System Information tool to display a comprehensive view of the hardware, system components, and software environment on the local computer.
 
 
Syntax
msinfo32 [/pch] [/nfo Path] [/report Path] [/computer ComputerName] [/showcategories] [/category CategoryID] [/categories CategoryID]
Parameters
Path
Specifies the file to be opened in the format C:\Folder1\File1.XXX, where C is the drive letter, Folder1 is the folder, File1 is the file name, and XXX is the file name extension. This file can be an .nfo, .xml, .txt, or .cab file.
ComputerName
Specifies the name of the target or local computer. This can be a UNC name, an IP address, or a full computer name.
CategoryID
Specifies the ID of the category item. You can obtain the category ID by using /showcategories.
/pch
Displays the System History view in the System Information tool.
/nfoPath
Saves the exported file as an .nfo file. If the file name that is specified in Path does not end in an .nfo extension, the .nfo extension is automatically appended to the file name.
/reportPath
Saves the file in Path as a text file. The file name is saved exactly as it appears in Path. The .txt extension is not appended to the file unless it is specified in Path.
/computerComputerName
Starts the System Information tool for the specified remote computer. You must have the appropriate permissions to access the remote computer.
/showcategories
Starts the System Information tool with all available category IDs displayed, rather than displaying the friendly or localized names. For example, the Software Environment category is displayed as the SWEnv category.
/categoryCategoryID
Starts System Information with the specified category selected. Use /showcategories to display a list of available category IDs.
/categories+CategoryID(+CategoryID)|+all(-CategoryID)
Starts System Information with only the specified category or categories displayed. It also limits the output to the selected category or categories. Use /showcategories to display a list of available category IDs.
/?
Displays help at the command prompt.
Remarks
  • Some System Information categories contain large amounts of data. You can use the start /wait command to optimize reporting performance for these categories. For more information, see Related Topics.
 
Examples
To list the available category IDs, type:

msinfo32 /showcategories

To start the System Information tool with all available information displayed, except Loaded Modules, type:

msinfo32 /categories +all -loadedmodules

To display only System Summary information and create an .nfo file called syssum.nfo that contains information in the System Summary category, type:

msinfo32 /nfo syssum.nfo /categories +systemsummary

To display resource conflict information and create an .nfo file called conflicts.nfo that contains information about resource conflicts, type:

msinfo32 /nfo conflicts.nfo /categories +componentsproblemdevices+ resourcesconflicts+resourcesforced hardware

Formatting legend

Format Meaning
Italic Information that the user must supply
Bold Elements that the user must type exactly as shown
Ellipsis (...) Parameter that can be repeated several times in a command line
Between brackets ([]) Optional items
Between braces ({}); choices separated by pipe (|). Example: {even|odd} Set of choices from which the user must choose only one
Courier font Code or program output