Summary
Windows includes a tool called Microsoft System Information (Msinfo32.exe). This tool gathers information about your computer and displays a comprehensive view of your hardware, system components, and software environment, which you can use to diagnose computer issues.
Notes:
-
If you run MSINFO32 without Administrator privileges, it may show some drivers as stopped when they are not. This is because the cache for this information requires Administrator privileges to update. To avoid this issue, make sure to run MSINFO32 with Administrator privileges.
-
MSINFO32 is not able to provide hardware information when run in Safe Mode. While Microsoft System Information can be run in Safe Mode, it is limited to displaying information about system components and the software environment.
More Information
How to start MSINFO32
Expand your version of Windows below for instructions to run MSINFO32:
-
Type msinfo32 in the Search box.
-
Right-click System Information in the search results and select Run as administrator.
-
While on the Start screen, type msinfo32. (Alternatively, swipe in from the right edge of the screen and select Search. If you are using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, and then select Search. Then type msinfo32 in the Search box.)
-
Right-click (or tap and hold) the search results and select Run as administrator.
-
Click Start. Type msinfo32 in the Search box.
-
Right-click msinfo32.exe in the search results, and then click Run as administrator.
How to run MSINFO32 using the Command Prompt
You can also run MSINFO32 from an elevated command prompt. To open the command prompt, type cmd in the Search box. Then right-click Command Prompt in the search results and select Run as administrator.
You can perform the following tasks using the MSINFO32 command-line tool switches:
-
Create .nfo or .txt files that contain your system information.
-
Start System Information connected to a remote computer.
Use the following syntax in the command prompt to run the MSINFO32 command on computers that are running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10:
Msinfo32 [/nfo Path] [/report Path] [/computer ComputerName]
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 and xxx is the file name extension. ComputerName This can be a Universal Naming Convention name, an IP address, or a Fully Qualified Domain Name.Command options
/nfo {Path}
Saves the exported file as an .nfo file. If the file name that is specified in Path does not end in .nfo, an .nfo file name extension will be appended to the file name. /report {Path} Saves the file that is specified in Path in the .txt format. The file name will be saved exactly as it appears in path. The .txt file name extension will not be appended to the file unless it is specified in Path. /computer {ComputerName} Starts System Information for the specified remote computer.Note: When you connect to a remote computer, you must have appropriate permissions to access WMI on the remote computer.
Examples To view your System Information, type:
msinfo32 To create an .nfo file in the folder C:\Temp with a name of Test.nfo, type:
msinfo32 /nfo C:\TEMP\TEST.NFO To create a .txt file in the folder C:\Temp with a name of Test.txt, type:
msinfo32 /report C:\TEMP\TEST.TXT To view System Information from a remote computer with a UNC name of BIGSERVER, type:
msinfo32 /computer BIGSERVER