How do I view Windows boot log
William Taylor
Updated on March 25, 2026
Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.Type the following file path: c:\Windows\ntbtlog.txt.Click the OK button.
Where is the boot log file in Windows 7?
A boot log should be created in the C:\Windows\ntbtlog. txt (assuming windows is installed to that directory!)
How do I boot trace?
- Install WPT.
- Open CMD Prompt as Administrator.
- CD\
- mkdir Trace.
- CD Trace.
- xbootmgr -trace boot -traceflags dispatcher+latency -stackwalk readythread+threadcreate+profile+cswitch.
- Wait for CTRL+ALT+DEL after the machine reboots and login.
- The trace will count down for 2 minutes and then write to C:\trace.
How do I view log files in Windows 10?
- Right click on the Start button and select Control Panel > System & Security and double-click Administrative tools.
- Double-click Event Viewer.
- Select the type of logs that you wish to review (ex: Application, System)
What is boot logging on a computer?
When Boot Logging is enable, Windows boots normally, until the device or driver that is causing the problem either crashes the system or completes starting up but causes an error message in the Event Log. While booting, Windows creates a log file that lists every step processed that is attempted and completed.
Where are Windows boot logs?
The boot log is stored in the file C:\Windows\ntbtlog. txt and can be opened with your favorite text editor app like Notepad. There are two ways to enable or disable this feature.
How do I view boot log files?
Click Start and then type %WinDir%\ntbtlog. txt. The boot log file opens in Notepad. Compare the list of drivers loaded in normal mode to the list of drivers loaded in safe mode.
Where are audit logs stored in Windows?
By default, Event Viewer log files use the . evt extension and are located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder. Log file name and location information is stored in the registry.How do I view a log file?
- To manually locate them and send them to us: 1.Click the start menu.
- In the search box type in %localappdata%
- It should open the Local AppData folder. Go into the Sync.Logs folder.
- Locate the sync-taskbar. log text file and sync-worker. log text file.
Types of Event Logs They are Information, Warning, Error, Success Audit (Security Log) and Failure Audit (Security Log).
Article first time published onHow do I use WPR?
- On the Start screen, click Windows Performance Recorder.
- To run the default profile, click Start. To learn how to view and use other profiles, refer to Start a Recording.
- Click Start to begin recording, or click Cancel to end without recording.
What is Windows WPA?
Included in the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK), Windows Performance Analyzer (WPA) is a tool that creates graphs and data tables of Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) events that are recorded by Windows Performance Recorder (WPR), Xperf, or an assessment that is run in the Assessment Platform.
How do you get to the boot menu?
When a computer is starting up, the user can access the Boot Menu by pressing one of several keyboard keys. Common keys for accessing the Boot Menu are Esc, F2, F10 or F12, depending on the manufacturer of the computer or motherboard. The specific key to press is usually specified on the computer’s startup screen.
How do I open advanced boot options in Windows 7?
The Advanced Boot Options screen lets you start Windows in advanced troubleshooting modes. You can access the menu by turning on your computer and pressing the F8 key before Windows starts.
How do I view PuTTY logs?
- To capture a session with PuTTY, open up a PUTTY.
- Look for Category Session → Logging.
- Under Session Logging, choose «All session output» and key in your desire log filename (default is putty. log).
Which key would you press to enable boot logging to find out what does and what does not load during boot?
In Windows XP, you can enable boot logging by pressing the F8 key when Windows first starts and choose the item Enable Boot Logging. The boot log is overwritten every time you start Windows. And, the log is produced only when you turn on the boot logging option.
How do I open a log file in PuTTY?
Double-click the PuTTY icon on your Desktop to open it or search your Start menu. Connect to your server. Enter your hostname (or IP address), port number, and password to connect to your server with PuTTY. Navigate the PuTTY window to your logs.
How do I save my boot log?
Go to the “Boot” tab, select the operating system and then select the “Boot log” checkbox under the Boot Options section. Click on the “Apply” and “OK” buttons to save the changes.
What is msconfig boot log?
With msconfig, you can set up a boot logger that will log every driver that is loaded during the boot process. Once you have this information, you can troubleshoot numerous problems. Here’s how to enable the boot log using Windows built-in msconfig.exe tool.
Where are the log files?
Locating Log Files. Most log files are located in the /var/log/ directory. Some applications such as httpd and samba have a directory within /var/log/ for their log files. You may notice multiple files in the log file directory with numbers after them.
How do you check logs using tail command?
- Enter the tail command, followed by the file you’d like to view: tail /var/log/auth.log. …
- To change the number of lines displayed, use the -n option: tail -n 50 /var/log/auth.log. …
- To show a real-time, streaming output of a changing file, use the -f or –follow options: tail -f /var/log/auth.log.
How do I view Windows audit logs?
- Open Event Viewer.
- In the console tree, expand Windows Logs, and then click Security. The results pane lists individual security events.
- If you want to see more details about a specific event, in the results pane, click the event.
How do I view Windows event viewer logs?
- Press ⊞ Win + R on the M-Files server computer. …
- In the Open text field, type in eventvwr and click OK. …
- Expand the Windows Logs node.
- Select the Application node. …
- Click Filter Current Log… on the Actions pane in the Application section to list only the entries that are related to M-Files.
How do I view the Event Log in CMD?
Start Windows Event Viewer through the command line As a shortcut you can press the Windows key + R to open a run window, type cmd to open a, command prompt window. Type eventvwr and click enter.
How do you read event logs?
Event logs are like system files to which certain information is written by programs that have no other means of output. For example, a Windows service runs without a user interface, so when the service wants to output a message it does so by writing to an event log.
What is Windows WPR?
Included in the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK), Windows Performance Recorder (WPR) is a performance recording tool that is based on Event Tracing for Windows (ETW). It records system events that you can then analyze by using Windows Performance Analyzer (WPA).
What is WPR command?
Windows Performance Recorder (WPR) offers a simple command line interface. The full complexity of WPR is embedded in the recording profiles.
How do I get WPR logs?
- wpr -start CPU -start diskio -start fileio -start registry -start network -start minifilter.
- (Reproduce the Issue)
- wpr -stop c:\temp\LogNameHere.etl (The Log can be named as per you requirements, and written to any location of your choosing that has write access)
How do you analyze ETL logs?
- Open PerfView.exe.
- In PerfView, use the left pane to locate the . etl file that you want to view. …
- Double-click the . etl file that you want to view. …
- To view the event traces, double-click Events. …
- To view details about a trace event, double-click the trace event.
How do I open an ETL file?
The easiest way is probably to open the ETL file in Event Viewer. Click Start, then type Event Viewer and open the Event Viewer utility. Then click Action > Open Saved Log and navigate to C:\Windows\Logs to open the ETL file you’re interested in.
How do I download and install Windows Performance Toolkit Windows 10?
Installation of the Windows Performance Tools and store the installer on your HDD. Now run the setup and this screen shows up: Click next and select the WPT from the list: Click “Install” and the Setup downloads the required files.