MyEventViewer (64-bit)

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on May 15, 2012

What happens in Windows stays in Windows, and the tool that logs and displays it is called the Event Viewer. NirSoft's MyEventViewer is a useful alternative to the built-in Windows tool. For example, it's less confusing, with a simpler layout. You can view multiple logs in one list. It displays the event description and data in the same list, too, instead of opening a new window. And it's available in separate versions for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems, for maximum compatibility and stability. We sampled the 64-bit version in Windows 7.

As with many of NirSoft's freeware system utilities, MyEventViewer is portable, opening as soon as we clicked the program's extracted executable file, with no formal installation required. The interface has the look of other NirSoft tools, centered on a detailed list view in the main window. But MyEventViewer's main window is split horizontally, with the list view in the upper half and event views below. This is a handy arrangement for the things most users need the Event Viewer for most often: quickly determining what went wrong, and when, and (with any luck) why.

MyEventViewer's column headings display a lot of useful information, everything from basic data such as Record Number and Log Type to Source and Category. We could change the column headings from the View menu. We could also add grid lines, show tool tips, and generate HTML reports.

MyEventViewer offers more options than many similar tools we've tried, such as the ability to configure what events are shown in the system tray warning balloon, select Remote Event Description Mode (for monitoring remote computers), and an option to display the time in GMT instead of system time. The Logs menu let us choose 10 Windows logs to display; by default, all are selected. The program's Web site offers documentation and assistance, but you have to browse to it.

MyEventViewer is easy to use. Selecting any event in the list displayed its data in the bottom half, but we could also open, save, and print the event's properties. If you use the Event Viewer a lot, try MyEventViewer.