MSInfo32.exe and its *.nfo files specification.

I'm about to research methods of root cause identification for software failures on computers running Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. The plan is to keep things simple and portable and probably the best way of going about it is to use the existing tools provided by the OS manufacturer. In the course of looking for an ideal data collection tool I stumbled upon MSInfo32.exe, which allows you to silently export an XML file (an .NFO extension) with a comprehensive view of your hardware, system components, and software environment. Find out here how to export the NFO file with system information. The documentation of the application is scarce, but I could find this description of the MSInfo document. The italic font further in this text will mean a quote from it.. I will try to save you the hassle of analyzing the XML elements on your own, please find the outcome of my research below. It is a stripped XML MSInfo template also available here for download.

[work in progress]

The XML tree is divided into Categories, each of which contains one or multiple Data elements. The structure of the Data element varies from one category to another (the Data element is not always the same). In the stripped example above, if a Category contains multiple Data elements, a tripple dot ("...") will follow after the Data element definition specific to the Category.

Data Element types

• Basic Data element
  The Basic Data Element is used where it would be enough to represent a data unit with VARIABLE=VALUE format. Item is the variable name, Value represents the value of a given variable.
  
  Data {
  Item = String
  Value = String
  }
  
  
• "Conflicts/Sharing" Data element
  Lists the identified resource conflicts between Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) devices, and identifies resources that are shared by Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) devices. Use this information to help identify hardware conflicts.
  Data {
  Resource = I/O port address of the resource
  Device = Name of the resource
  }
  
  
• "DMA", "I/O", "IRQs", "Memory" Data element
  DMA Reports the direct memory access (DMA) channels that are in use, the devices that are using them, and those that are available for use.
  I/O Lists all I/O port ranges that are in use, and the devices that are using each range.
  IRQs Summarizes IRQ usage, identifies the devices that are using the IRQs, and lists the available IRQs.
  Memory Lists memory address ranges that are in use by devices.
  
  
  Data {
  Resource = DMA channel
  Device = "Direct Memory Access controller"
  Status = Status { OK, Disabled }
  }
  
  
• "Forced Hardware" Data Element
  Lists hardware devices in which the Plug and Play (PNP) configuration has been disabled ,and resource settings have been manually set to user-specified resources. Forced hardware would also apply to devices that do not participate in the PNP process such as legacy ISA devices. This information is useful when you want to troubleshoot Plug and Play resource conflicts.
  Data {
  Device = Device Name
  PNP_Device_ID = Plug'N'Play Device ID
  }
  
  
• "Audio Codecs" and "Video Codecs" Data Element
  Lists the audio or video codecs that are loaded.
  Data {
  CODEC = Name of the codec (in form of a pathname)
  Manufacturer = Codec manufacturer
  Description = Codec description
  Status = Status in the system
  File = Path to the codec
  Version = Codec version
  Size = Codec size
  Creation_date = Codec creation date
  }
  
  
  
• "Printing" Data Element
  Lists installed printers, and printer drivers.
  Data {
  Name = Printer name
  Driver = Description of the Printers driver
  Port_Name = Printer Port
  Server_Name = Optional server name
  }
  
  
  
• "Problem Devices" Data Element
  Lists devices with problems. Lists each device that is flagged in Device Manager, and displays the corresponding status information.
  
  Data {
  Device = Device Name
  PNP_Device_ID = Plug'N'Play device ID
  Error_Code = Error code or device status.
  }
  
  
  
• "USB" Data Element
  Lists Universal Serial Bus (USB) controllers, and drivers that are installed.
  Data {
  Device = Device Name
  PNP_Device_ID = P'N'P Device ID
  }
  
  
• "System Drivers" Data Element
  
  Data {
  Name = Driver Name
  Description = Description string
  File = File path
  Type =
  Started =
  State =
  Status =
  Error_Control =
  Accept_Pause =
  Accept_Stop =
  }
  
  
• "Signed Drivers" Data Element
  Data{
  Device_Name =
  Signed =
  Device_Class =
  Driver_Version =
  Driver_Date =
  Manufacturer =
  INF_Name =
  Driver_Name =
  Device_ID =
  }
  
  
• "Environment Variables" Data Element
  Lists the Windows XP global environment variables. The Global Environment Variables formerly in the Autoexec.bat, and Config.sys files are migrated to the registry, and are shown here.
  Data {
  Variable = Name of the Variable
  Value = Value of the Variable
  User_Name = User that has this variable in their profile.
  }
  
  
• "Print Jobs" Data Element
  Shows the printing jobs currently in the print queue.
  Data {
  Document =
  Size =
  Owner =
  Notify =
  Status =
  Time_Submitted =
  Start_Time =
  Until_Time =
  Elapsed_Time =
  Pages_Printed =
  Job_ID =
  Priority =
  Parameters =
  Driver =
  Print_Processor =
  Host_Print_Queue =
  Data_Type =
  Name =
  }
  
  
• "Network Connections" Data Element
  Lists all current network connections.
  Data {
  Local_Name =
  Remote_Name =
  Type =
  Status =
  User_Name =
  }
  
  
• "Running Tasks" Data Element
  Lists the currently running executable files or programs. This provides a comprehensive view of the processes that are running on your computer.
  Data {
  Name =
  Path=
  Process_ID=
  Priority=
  Min_Working_Set=
  Max_Working_Set=
  Start_Time=
  Version=
  }
  
  
• "Loaded Modules" Data Element
  Lists all modules currently loaded into memory.
  Data {
  Name=
  Version=
  Size=
  File_Date=
  Manufacturer=
  Path=
  }