Windows XP Utilities (MCP Series)

As I progress through my study, I will update this post with all the command line utilities you can use in Windows XP. Some I am well familar with and some I am not. Let's get started with the driver and system file management utilities:

Sigverif.exe (GUI)

I've used sigverif many times in the past to fix BSOD XP computers. Turns out it's not the most user-friendly way to find unsigned drivers, but it does work. It can also scan ALL system files.

Driverquery.exe (CMD) run with the "/si" switch

Driver Query is run from the command line and it can verify the signing of your drivers. This utility lists all drivers and with the /si switch, it will display the signed status of each driver.

MSinfo32.exe or Winmsd.exe (GUI)

MSinfo32 is the run command for System Information. This tool performs the same tasks as Driver Query but it has a GUI so you can sort by signed status, making the unsigned drivers easier to find. Winmsd runs from the command line or the "run command, MSinfo32 runs from the "run" command.

SFC /scannow (GUI)

The System File Checker runs a scan over all system files and allows you to replace damaged/modified/changed system files with system files from the Windows XP Install Disc.

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