Where do I find Reliability Monitor?

Type perfmon /rel into the Run dialog or search box, or search for 'Reliability Monitor' in Start.

What's the difference between Event Viewer and Reliability Monitor?

Event Viewer logs granular events across many sources; Reliability Monitor summarizes app/system crashes and driver issues on a simple visual timeline.

Is dxdiag useful for non-gaming issues?

Mostly it's for graphics/audio/DirectX troubleshooting, but it's also a quick way to confirm driver versions and installed DirectX features.

Windows Diagnostics Overview

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Windows includes a full set of built-in diagnostic tools for tracking down stability, performance, and hardware issues — most people never open them. Here's what each one is for.

Updated August 9, 2026 · PC Utility Hub Editorial Team

Reliability Monitor

Reliability Monitor (perfmon /rel) shows a day-by-day timeline of application crashes, Windows failures, and driver issues, with a stability index graph. It's the fastest way to see whether a recent crash correlates with a specific driver or app update.

Event Viewer

Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) is the central log for Windows, applications, and security events. The Windows Logs > System and Application nodes are the most commonly checked for error/warning entries around the time of a problem.

Performance Monitor (perfmon)

Performance Monitor lets you track detailed hardware and software counters (disk queue length, memory pages/sec, CPU per-core usage) over time, and build Data Collector Sets to log system behavior for later review — useful for performance issues that only show up under load.

Resource Monitor

Resource Monitor (resmon.exe) gives a live, per-process breakdown of CPU, memory, disk, and network activity, plus an Associated Handles search similar in purpose to Process Explorer's handle finder.

Windows Memory Diagnostic

Windows Memory Diagnostic (mdsched.exe) reboots the PC into a minimal environment to test RAM for hardware errors — the first stop for random crashes or blue screens with no obvious software cause.

DirectX Diagnostic Tool

DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag) reports installed DirectX version, display adapter details, sound devices, and can run basic DirectX component tests — handy when troubleshooting game or graphics driver issues.

Beyond built-in tools

For deeper process-level detail than these built-in tools provide, Sysinternals utilities like Process Explorer and Process Monitor fill the gap — they're free Microsoft tools but not preinstalled.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find Reliability Monitor?: Type perfmon /rel into the Run dialog or search box, or search for 'Reliability Monitor' in Start.
What's the difference between Event Viewer and Reliability Monitor?: Event Viewer logs granular events across many sources; Reliability Monitor summarizes app/system crashes and driver issues on a simple visual timeline.
Is dxdiag useful for non-gaming issues?: Mostly it's for graphics/audio/DirectX troubleshooting, but it's also a quick way to confirm driver versions and installed DirectX features.