Microsoft Diagnostics
 Microsoft Diagnostics 3.0 | |
| Type | diagnostic software |
|---|---|
| Operating system | MS-DOS |
| Supported platforms | x86 |
| Initial release version | 1.0 |
| Initial release date | 1990 |
| Latest release version | 3.01 |
| Latest release date | 1994 |
| License | Proprietary |
Microsoft Diagnostics (msd.exe) is an information and diagnostic program for MS-DOS. It shows information for certain hardware and software components of a computer, such as BIOS, processor, display, mouse, keyboard, CD-ROM, network, serial and parallel ports, drives and operating system. Microsoft Diagnostics comes as part of MS-DOS 6, Windows 3.1x and Windows 95. Its Windows NT counterpart is Windows NT Diagnostics (winmsd.exe).
History[edit | edit source]
Version 1.0 can be navigated with the use of either arrow keys or Alt and a highlighted letter. By selecting a category, additional information about it will be displayed in a pop-up window. It also lets the user see the content of system files, such as CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT.
Starting with version 2.0, it also displays the installed version of Microsoft Windows (with Windows 9x operating systems being identified as their kernel version 4.xx) and a mouse can now be used to navigate through the tool. Pop-up windows now also function like windows in Windows 3.x. By clicking on the button at the top left corner, the window closes. The tool also gained a new menu bar, where most options previously seen at the lower half of the interface moved into. The CD-ROM category merged into the hard disk one, where CD-ROM drives and the installed MSCDEX version are being displayed. The Game Adapter category moved into the new Other Devices area.
Version 3.0 added support for the Pentium processor, but other than that, didn't change much from the previous version 2.1. Its development was ceased prior to the release of Windows 95, with itself being dropped from Windows with Windows 98 and replaced by the Win32-based System Information.
The latest version of Microsoft Diagnostics is able to identify most hardware from as late as the mid-1990s; later hardware like P6-based Pentium processors or later display adapters will be identified as Unknown. It is also not Y2K-compatible, as BIOS dates beyond 1999 will be displayed as 04/23/90.
Versions[edit | edit source]
- 1.0 (1990)
- 1.1 (1991)
- 2.0 (1992)
- 2.1 (1993)
- 3.0 (1994)
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Microsoft Diagnostics 1.00
Microsoft Diagnostics 1.10.24
Microsoft Diagnostics 2.1
