Change Analysis Diagnostic: Identify Recent Changes in a Windows XP PC

The Change Analysis Diagnostic Tool from Microsoft helps you determine the recent changes made to your Windows XP computer. This tool generates a log file containing the list of changes made to your computer during the specified period. The log can be useful when troubleshooting the system or when cleaning up Malware.

The diagnostic checks for recent changes to the following:

• OS components, such as patches (hotfixes and WU)
• Installed application entries listed in the Add or Remove Programs
• All kernel mode device and file system drivers.
• BHOs loaded by Internet Explorer
• ActiveX controls loaded by Internet Explorer
• Startup Programs
• Programs and DLLs loaded when an application starts

Using Change Analysis Diagnostic

Download Change Analysis Diagnostic (WindowsXP-KB924732-x86-ENU.exe) and run it. The setup program unpacks and installs the application. The executable file StateChangeDiag.exe is placed in the C:\Windows\PCHealth\Helpctr\Binaries folder.

1. Click Start, type StateChangeDiag.exe and press ENTER

2. Click Next.

3. Select the period you want to examine, and click Next

The tool will now detect system changes.

4. The report is saved to an XML file named scdiag.xml (along with the stylesheet scstyle.xsl) in the current folder (Binaries). Click the View Report button.

Sample report

Note that the tool generates a detailed log by querying data from the registry hives stored in each System Restore snapshot.

(via TechNet Magazine)

Copyright © 2008 Ramesh Srinivasan. All rights reserved.

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