Which utility can test video?

You’re troubleshooting a computer, but you’re not sure if the problem you are seeing is related to the monitor or the operating system. What Windows utility can perform a series of video output tests?

A) regedit

B) dxdiag

C) msinfo32

D) msconfig

E) You don’t want to touch your tongue to the end of the monitor plug. Don’t ask me how I know this.

The answer: B) dxdiag

The DirectX Diagnostic Tools, or dxdiag, can provide you with information about the video, audio, and many other components of your system. For video, dxdiag also includes a number of diagnostics capabilities that can show many different video output patterns.

Want to know more? Watch “Bus Architectures and Expansion Slots.” There is a wealth of Windows utilities that can be run directly from the command line or launched from the Start menu. In this video, we’ll examine utilities like telnet, ping, msconfig, dxdiag, and many more.