What is the Change Analysis Diagnostic tool?

The Change Analysis Diagnostic tool simplifies the identification of recent changes to computers running Windows XP by checking for recent changes to the following:

• Operating system components, such as patches, that are installed as hotfixes or downloads from Windows Update.
• Installed application entries listed in the Add or Remove Programs control panel.
• All kernel mode device and file system drivers.
• Browser helper objects loaded by Internet Explorer.
• ActiveX controls loaded by Internet Explorer.
• Programs loaded automatically during Windows XP startup.
• Programs and Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) loaded when an application starts.

The Change Analysis Diagnostic tool depends on the existence of restore points to work.

System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP Service Pack 2


Download details: Change Analysis Diagnostic (KB924732):
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...ylang=en&tm

System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP Service Pack 2


After it is installed..this is how it works
The Change Analysis Diagnostic tool for Windows XP is available

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924732

This tool provides an easy way to track changes to certain parts of the operating system. The tool lets support professionals better understand the modifications to users' computers that may have caused problems. Support professionals can then suggest troubleshooting steps.




The Change Analysis Diagnostic tool queries the System Restore data for the number of days that the user selects. The tool finds the changes to the registry and to the file system that are relevant to these categories. Then, the tool presents the changes together with contextual information. Finally, the tool lists the changes in an XML file that can be sent to a support professional.

Typically, this process starts when the user calls a support professional. The user reports that the computer has started to behave differently. For example, the computer may be running slower or crashing. The support professional directs the user to a Microsoft Web site to download the latest version of the Change Analysis Diagnostic tool. When the user runs the tool, information about the categories that are mentioned earlier is written to an XML file. Then, the user can view the file or use e-mail to send the file to the support professional for more analysis. The support professional can use the file to help the user troubleshoot the issue.

The support professional guides the user through the following steps:1. The support professional asks the user to install the Windows XP Change Analysis Diagnostic tool by visiting the Microsoft Download Center Web site.
2. The support professional asks the user to run the diagnostic tool.

To run the diagnostic tool, click Start, click Run, type statechangediag.exe, and then click OK.
3. The tool asks the user for a time frame in which to search.
4. The tool detects system changes. Then, it saves the data to an .xml file.
5. The user either clicks View Report or finds the file on the computer. Then, the user uses e-mail to send the file to the support professional for more analysis.

Note Typically, the .xml file is stored in the Drive:\Documents and Settings\User folder.
6. The support professional reviews the output to determine what may cause the problem.