When your computer runs at its optimum level, you can be more productive. When it doesn't, you can be faced with lost or corrupted data, and have to spend big chunks of time troubleshooting annoying problems.

As someone who works mainly with the server end of things, I'm familiar with advanced tools for determining whether computer systems are healthy or not. Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) and Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) are two top-notch products I often use. There are numerous third-party tools as well, several of which I've reviewed previously in Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine.

But I'm often asked by home users and home office workers whether there are similar tools available for monitoring the health of their own systems. In this article, I'll explain how to check your computer system using the following:

• Personal observation
• Windows XP Help and Support Center
• Local area connection status
• WMI scripts
• Third-party tools