Frequently asked questions about the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) when it is used with Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2

This article answers the frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Microsoft Support Diagnostics Tool (MSDT) when it runs on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Microsoft Support uses the information that Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) collects to analyze and then determine the correct resolution to problems that you are experiencing on the computer. The information may also be used to automatically perform common troubleshooting tasks.

Frequently asked questions

Q1: How do I run MSDT on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer?

A1: On computers that have an Internet connection, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
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2. Type msdt in the Search programs and files box, and then select msdt from the Programs list.
3. Type your support key that is provided by Microsoft support, and then click Next.
4. Follow the instructions to execute and upload the diagnostic package.

On computers that have no Internet connection, follow these steps:

1. Run MSDT on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer that has an Internet connection.
2. Generate a stand-alone package that can be executed on the computer that has no Internet connection. Question 2 provides more details about this scenario.  

Q2: How can I run MSDT on a computer that has no Internet connection?

A2: You can run MSDT on a computer that has no Internet connection through a package that is generated on a computer that has an Internet connection. This package is called Offline package. The Offline package can be used to obtain diagnostic information on any Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer that has no access to the Internet. The Offline package will execute on the destination computer generate a CAB file with diagnostic information that can be uploaded back to Microsoft support.

To run MSDT on a computer that has no Internet connection, follow these steps:

1. On a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer that has an Internet connection, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start
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   2. Type msdt in the Search programs and files box, and then select msdt from the Programs list.
   3. Type your support key that is provided by Microsoft support, and then click Next.
   4. On the The following troubleshooters will be used page, click Next.
   5. Select A different computer.
   6. Select a folder to save the Offline package. This can be removable media or a network location.
   7. Two files are saved on the indicated location, a SupportPackage.xxxx.DiagCab and UploadResults.xxxx.diagcfg (where xxxx is the passkey that was used).
2. On the Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer being diagnosed, follow these steps:
   1. Open the folder where the offline package is located.
   2. Double-click the SupportPackage.xxxx.DiagCab file to execute it.
   3. Follow the instructions to collect data. Data collection may take several minutes to complete.
   4. Click Save when you see the Diagnosis is complete screen, and then save the diagnostic results on a removable drive, a folder or a network share. The diagnostic results are saved in a CAB file. 
3. After you save the CAB file that has diagnostic results, move this CAB file to the Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer that has an Internet connection, and then double-click the UploadResults.xxxx.diagcfg file. Follow the instructions to upload the CAB file to Microsoft Support.

Q3: Does MSDT change my system configuration?

A3: MSDT may change the configuration of the computer. For example, MSDT may enable debug-related logging and then require you to reproduce the problem that you are experiencing. Some of these logging may be maintained enabled until the diagnostic package upload the troubleshooting information to Microsoft Support. MSDT may also enable diagnostics that collect additional information about the problem. In addition, MSDT can also install run time packages to be able to execute certain diagnostic packages, such as PowerShell or .NET Framework. Not all configurations that are changed by MSDT will be reverted when package finishes execution. In particular, for scenarios where a runtime package is installed (such as PowerShell) the run time package may be kept installed on the computer.

Furthermore, some diagnostic packages can also detect specific problems. If MSDT can automatically find and fix problems, you will be given the option to apply fixes. If you decide to apply the fixes, then the changes that are made by that fix will remain after MSDT finishes.

Q4: Which components and files remain on the computer after MSDT uploads files to Microsoft?

A4: As described in Question 3, some settings or run-time components may remain on the computer. Some diagnostic packages may also enable tracing or specific logs that may remain enabled on the computer until the diagnostic uploads troubleshooting information to Microsoft Support.

During data collection, MSDT diagnostic information is stored temporarily in the folder %WINDIR%\TEMP\SDIAG_{GUID} (where GUID represents a diagnostic execution). This folder is deleted after the diagnostic package finishes executing.

Copies of files collected by diagnostic packages are also maintained on user’s profile. To review and remove the data that was sent to Microsoft after MSDT finished, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
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   , and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Find and fix problems.
3. Click View history.
4. If you do not see the item that you want to view, click Include troubleshooters that were run as an administrator.
5. Right-click any item and then click Delect to individually delete specific instances, or click Clear history to delete all the information that was collected by MSDT execution.

Q5: Will MSDT change the PowerShell Execution Policy?

A5: Most of Windows 7-based diagnostic packages do not make any change on the PowerShell execution policy. However, some diagnostic packages that collect information from remote computers may temporarily alter the PowerShell Execution policy to the RemoteSigned policy, reverting the configuration to the original policy before it finishes collecting information. Be aware that the policy may remain RemoteSigned if you cancel diagnostic execution before the package finalizes executing.

Q6: Does MSDT run correctly on a localized version of the Windows operating system?

A6: MSDT runs correctly on a localized version of Windows. However, only some content descriptions are localized. Therefore, parts of the user interface appear in English.

Q7: How do you start MSDT on a Server Core installation of on Windows Server 2008 R2?

A7: Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core installation option does not support running MSDT diagnostic packages. If you want to diagnose Windows Server 2008 R2 that has a Server Core installation, you have to contact your support engineer and request a passkey to execute a specific diagnostic package that can be used to collect information from a Server Core R2 through a remote Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer. 

Q8: Which URLs have to be configured on a firewall or proxy to allow running a diagnostic package on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 computer?

A8: The following URLs are accessed when running a diagnostic package:

• https://support.microsoft.com
  (https://support.microsoft.com)
• https://dcupload.microsoft.com
  (https://dcupload.microsoft.com)

Troubleshooting

This section lists the most common problems when you run MSDT.

P1: After you run MSDT.exe on a Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008-based computer and then type the passkey that was provided by Microsoft Support, you receive the "There was a problem connecting to the Microsoft Support server" error.

This problem occurs because the passkey that you used is incompatible with Windows Vista or with Windows Server 2008. If you want to diagnose a computer that is not running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, ask the support engineer to send you a URL to execute MSDT on a non-Windows 7 system. If you want to generate an offline package to execute on Windows 7 or on Windows Server 2008 R2, execute MSDT.exe on a computer that has with one of these operating systems installed and generate the offline package (SupportPackage.*.DiagCab), as described in Q2.

P2: When you run the Offline package that was generated on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP (MSDT-Portable.exe) on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer, you receive a "This application is not supported on this Operating System" error and the application exits. 

This problem occurs because the Offline package was generated on a pre-Windows 7 computer (Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008) and is incompatible with Windows 7 or with Windows Server 2008 R2. If you want to obtain data from a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer, ask Microsoft support to send you a passkey to use on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer to generate an offline package compatible with this operating system. 

P3: When you run MSDT.exe on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer and then type the passkey, you receive an "An error occurred while contact support provider" error and the diagnostic package exits. 

To troubleshoot this problem, click the View error details button to identify the error code. The following are the most common error codes and possible workarounds or solutions.

Additional information

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: