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Dr. Watson

Dr. Watson is a program error debugging utility that is part of Microsoft Windows XP operating system.

The Dr. Watson utility is brought into service when an error arises with a Windows application. The majority of the time, Dr Watson will run itself automatically when relevant error exists on your system. The Dr. Watson utility will inspect the program and create a log file of data with reference to the particular program, your PC and the conditions surrounding the error.

The log file in the Dr. Watson utility is referred to as Drwtsn32.log. One can send this data file to an i.t. support department or the computer support staff from the company that made the program with the particular error.

While Windows XP operating system has its own error reporting offering, one will still discover Dr. Watson  as a very helpful utility. As the error reporting service is private and nameless, Microsoft employees will not be able to ascertain private information of one’s individual predicament. This means that if one encounters an error in a MS application, the log file generated from the Dr. Watson utility will be a useful piece of information for any tech support employees who deal with that particular error.

One can most often find the Dr. Watson log file at:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINNT\Application Data\Microsoft\Dr Watson

(The ‘C:’ could be different if you have installed Windows on a special hard drive.)

One can start up the Dr. Watson utility by clicking on Start ( located at the bottom left side of your monitor) and then clicking Run, then one would want to key in “drwtsn32” followed by hitting “OK”. This will allow one to change particular settings –for example making Dr. Watson record a larger amount of data, play a specific audio alert when you experience errors, or show an on the screen note to ensure one is cognizant of when an error has occurred. Albeit, it is advisable to only change these particular settings if one is positive that they recognize what they are doing.

In addition to altering the settings, running the Dr. Watson utility also allows one to examine the particular log file in greater detail & find the relevant data pertaining to a particular error more straightforwardly.