What is Dr. Watson in Windows OS

What is Dr Watson?

Dr. Watson for Windows is a program error debugger that gathers information about your computer when an error (or user-mode fault) occurs with a program. Technical support groups can use the information that Dr. Watson obtains and logs to diagnose a program error. When an error is detected, Dr. Watson creates a text file (Drwtsn32.log) that can be delivered to support personnel by the method they prefer. You also have the option of creating a crash dump file, which is a binary file that a programmer can load into a debugger.


Note Windows XP also provides an Error Reporting service that monitors your computer for both user-mode and kernel-mode faults ("stop" error messages or error messages that are displayed on a blue screen, as well as improper shutdown events) that affect both the operating system and any programs. This service allows you to send error reports to Microsoft when an error occurs.

To configure Dr. Watson, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. Type drwtsn32, and then click OK.

By default, the log file created by Dr. Watson is named Drwtsn32.log and is saved in the following location:

drive:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINNT\Application Data\Microsoft\Dr Watson


1 How to Configure and Use Error Reporting

You can enable, disable, or modify the way that error reporting works on a Windows XP-based computer. When an error occurs, a dialog box is displayed that prompts you to report the problem to Microsoft. If you want to report the problem, technical information about the problem is sent to Microsoft over the Internet. You must be connected to the Internet to use the feature. If a similar problem has been reported by other users and information about the problem is available, you receive a link to a Web page that contains information about the problem.


To access the settings for the reporting feature:

  1. Click Start.
  2. Right-click My Computer, then click Properties.
  3. Click the Advanced tab.
  4. Click Error Reporting.

To configure the error reporting feature:

  • By default, error reporting is enabled. To disable it, click Disable error reporting. To continue to be notified when errors occur without being prompted to report the errors, click to select the But notify me when critical errors occur check box.
  • Specify whether you want to use error reporting for the Windows operating system, for programs, or for both Windows and programs.
  • To report errors only for selected programs, click Choose Programs, click All programs in this list, and then click the programs that you do not want to include.
  • To add a program that is not listed, click Add, type the name of the program, or click Browse to find the program on your computer.
  • If many programs are listed, you may want to create an exclude list. In the Do not report errors for these programs box, click Add, type the name of each program that you want to exclude from error reporting, or click Browse to find the program on your computer.




2 To Enable Dr Watson as the default application to handle crashes.

drwtsn32 –i

OR

  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit.exe in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug

NOTE: Steps three and four are optional, However, they are necessary if you want to restore the default use of Dr. Watson.

  1. Click the AeDebug key, and then click Export Registry File on the Registry menu.
  2. Type a name and location for the saved registry file, and then click Save.

Registry entries for debugger programs are located in the AeDebug key in Windows. The Dr. Watson program is installed by default in Windows, and is configured to run when an application error occurs (with a data value of 1 for the Auto value). The default values are as follows:

Value Name = Auto

Type = String (REG_SZ)

Data Value = 1 or 0. (Default is 1)


Value Name = Debugger

Type = String (REG_SZ)

Data Value = drwtsn32 -p %ld -e %ld -g