[SOLVED] NFO Files - msinfo32.nfo

[jcgriff2]

All BSOD OPs are required to run an app found in the BSOD Posting Instructions - (8) Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Posting Instructions - Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7 + Vista | Sysnative Forums

One of the very important output files is msinfo32.nfo

I had been running Windows 8.1 x64 until a few weeks ago when I got a new laptop with Windows 10 Pro x64 on it.

In Windows 8.1 and prior Windows OS', I could just click on the OP's msinfo32.nfo file and it would be brought up in the "NFO Viewer" for lack of a better term. It looked like this -

Now when I click on msinfo32.nfo, Windows asks me to select an app to open it with.

I Googled this and learned that Microsoft recommends Notepad, which looks like this -

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<MsInfo>
<Metadata>
<Version>8.0</Version>
<CreationUTC>02/11/21 14:08:10</CreationUTC>
</Metadata>
<Category name="System Summary">
<Data>
<Item><![CDATA[OS Name]]></Item>
<Value><![CDATA[Microsoft Windows 10 Home Single Language]]></Value>
</Data>
<Data>
<Item><![CDATA[Version]]></Item>
<Value><![CDATA[10.0.19041 Build 19041]]></Value>
</Data>
<Data>
<Item><![CDATA[Other OS Description ]]></Item>
<Value><![CDATA[Not Available]]></Value>
</Data>
<Data>
<Item><![CDATA[OS Manufacturer]]></Item>
<Value><![CDATA[Microsoft Corporation]]></Value>
</Data>
<Data>
<Item><![CDATA[System Name]]></Item>
<Value><![CDATA[DESKTOP-SBO2E6Q]]></Value>
</Data>
<Data>
<Item><![CDATA[System Manufacturer]]></Item>
<Value><![CDATA[HP]]></Value>

... and goes on for 28,465 lines.

I can see that it is an XML file.

You can bring up msinfo32 on your own system by pressing the WIN key and typing msinfo32.exe and it will appear in the viewer as my first screenshot did.

I did find an app at the Microsoft store for NFO files, but it just displays it like it does in Notepad, which is useless to me.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,

John

p.s. I have attached the msinfo32.nfo from my system for those of you who wish to test.

 

[jcgriff2]

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[philc43]

Your file opens fine on my system in the usual System Information window.

Check that your file associations are correctly set in Settings > Apps

 

[x BlueRobot]

It opens fine for me too. Have you installed any programs recently which may have overwritten the default setting?

 

[jcgriff2]

Your file opens fine on my system in the usual System Information window.

Check that your file associations are correctly set in Settings > Apps

View attachment 65546

I cannot seem to find this under SETTINGS.

It opens fine for me too. Have you installed any programs recently which may have overwritten the default setting?

When opening msinfo32.nfo from the zip would not work, I did install a NFO reader app, which did not work either. I uninstalled it with REVO running as Admin. I still cannot open NFO files.

Again, running msinfo32.exe on my own system does bring up the NFO file the way I'm used to seeing it.

Thanks guys,

John

 

[philc43]

@jcgriff2 If you ever need to find a setting just use the built in search box which is on the main page for Settings




Type file associations and select the "Choose a default app...." The windows will open to the screen I posted earlier. On my device it takes a little while to open but on your laptop it should be pretty quick!

Scroll down to the .nfo entry and then see what app is associated with it. Click on it to change it and make sure "System Information" is selected.

 

[axe0]

The Settings app is, in my opinion, not the best feature Windows 10 has. Especially because Microsoft sometimes decides to move some settings around making it difficult to keep track of where everything is in different versions of Windows 10. The search feature is the savior for me.

 

[Wrench97]

Yea seems every update they shuffle the deck.....................................

Does System info open in the correct window?

Is this the new laptop?
And did you reinstall or it's the OEM install?

 

[britechguy]

I cannot seem to find this under SETTINGS.

That is very odd:



For myself, I'd end up, Doing a Windows 10 Repair Install or Feature Update Using the Windows 10 ISO file, as there is no logical reason for this file type association to be broken. And given that a Repair Install often fixes issues you have not even encountered yet (but that can be found by someone looking for same ahead of your tripping over them) . . .

 

[britechguy]

The Settings app is, in my opinion, not the best feature Windows 10 has. Especially because Microsoft sometimes decides to move some settings around making it difficult to keep track of where everything is in different versions of Windows 10. The search feature is the savior for me.

And that search feature, which actually works, is what makes the Windows 10 Settings so vastly better than anything that came before it.

There is no way that anyone can "keep track of" where settings we use once in ten years, if that, are located, at least for the most part. The search feature in Settings allows you to get there in seconds, and usually using either very precise, or somewhat looser "end user" search term(s).

 

[axe0]

I would prefer the Control Panel much more, I am still using it the majority of the time even though I notice from time to time that something isn't in the Control Panel anymore. The slow move from Control Panel to Settings is a real PITA for me.

I'd say I'm doing a fairly good job of keeping track of where settings are and were considering the Windows 10 pc's at home all use various different versions of Windows 10 (1607 to 20h2) and I from time to time need to go through their settings.

 

[britechguy]

The slow move from Control Panel to Settings is a real PITA for me.

I'd say it's a PITA for everyone. And it's taking much, much longer than I ever thought it would after the introduction of Windows 10. I wouldn't really have cared if they had stuck with Control Panel, but since I know that's absolutely not the plan or what's been happening, I'm waiting for it to disappear and hope that happens ASAP, as the "division of settings" is a grand PITA.

But when I do need to find something, and it's a part of the Settings hierarchy, I can locate it much more easily using Settings Search than I can the old Control Panel and its search when I don't know where something is there. The old Control Panel search just has never worked as well for me as Settings Search does.

 

[jcgriff2]

Yea seems every update they shuffle the deck.....................................

Does System info open in the correct window?

Is this the new laptop?
And did you reinstall or it's the OEM install?

I found the NFO file association and selected the app and now it works.

Yes - new laptop. I love the 32 GB RAM !!

My first time using W10 Pro daily. I liked W8.1 much better!

I ended up using the OEM W10 Pro x64. I have several full retail copies and keycodes if needed.

That is very odd:

View attachment 65580

For myself, I'd end up, Doing a Windows 10 Repair Install or Feature Update Using the Windows 10 ISO file, as there is no logical reason for this file type association to be broken. And given that a Repair Install often fixes issues you have not even encountered yet (but that can be found by someone looking for same ahead of your tripping over them) . . .

Thanks - I found the screenshot and changed NFO file association.

I would prefer the Control Panel much more, I am still using it the majority of the time even though I notice from time to time that something isn't in the Control Panel anymore. The slow move from Control Panel to Settings is a real PITA for me.

I'd say I'm doing a fairly good job of keeping track of where settings are and were considering the Windows 10 pc's at home all use various different versions of Windows 10 (1607 to 20h2) and I from time to time need to go through their settings.

Control Panel is still there. Bring up CMD; type control.

This is now fixed.

Thank you everyone for the help.

John

 

[britechguy]

I'd say I'm doing a fairly good job of keeping track of where settings are and were considering the Windows 10 pc's at home all use various different versions of Windows 10 (1607 to 20h2) and I from time to time need to go through their settings.

I want to preface this by saying the following question is not meant as snark, nor to start an argument, but is of genuine curiosity: Why are you keeping machines on out of support (way out of support) versions of Windows 10?

I can get keeping a collection that's running all currently supported versions, but can't fathom why 1607 (or anything pre-1909, maybe 1803) would be useful to keep alive.

 

[britechguy]

My first time using W10 Pro daily. I liked W8.1 much better!

All kidding aside, but you are the first person (and absolutely the first tech geek) I have ever heard say that they preferred Windows 8.1 over Windows 10.

I praised the day I no longer had to support the sole Windows 8.1 machine that had been a part of my household. And the main reason I hated Windows 8.1 was that the design idiom was built around the idea that everyone would be using touch enabled devices, or prefer touch to keyboard and mouse. It felt very clumsy, even after long periods of time having worked with it, at least for me.

When Windows 10 hit in 2015 I instantly said to myself, "They've brought back what we all loved about earlier versions of Windows, and wanted back, while retaining the few good things (and there were some) about Windows 8.1." My opinion hasn't changed in just short of 6 years.

 

[jcgriff2]

All kidding aside, but you are the first person (and absolutely the first tech geek) I have ever heard say that they preferred Windows 8.1 over Windows 10.

I've only had W10 Pro for 2 or 3 weeks at this point. But then again - I loved Vista! :0

To me, 8.1 was simply an upgrade of 7, but much faster (newer laptop also)

Also, I had a touchscreen, but never used it.

I dislike 10's File Explorer - the way it updates last used directories on the side. I prefer to select them and have them remain fixed.

I do not like the START menu tiles at all and will likely get rid of most of them. I use search or CMD for just about everything (to find an app for example).

Do not yet understand quite a few new W10 features; will have to look into them. There are even more new features with Win 10 Pro to look at and test.

Not impressed with on-board Windows Security at all. Two Chrome extensions that I had on my old 8.1 laptop for years and were imported to Chrome under W10 got hit with malware within 36 hours. This never happened with 6+ years of W8.1 and ESET NOD32.

Don't want to go for a 3rd time, so I deleted all Chrome extensions, reinstalled AdBlock; installed my favorite security software - ESET NOD32. Windows Defender (or whatever it is called) is now turned OFF.

Windows Firewall has been reset and remains active.

Windows 10 is beyond super fast, but it might be the new laptop and upgraded hardware.

W8.1 - 1 GB HDD; 12 GB RAM; 8th generation core i7 CPU released ~2013/2014

W10 - 1 GB SSD; 32 GB RAM; 11th generation core i7 CPU that was just released in November 2020

 

[britechguy]

I prefer to select them and have them remain fixed.

That's what pinning is all about. You can also disable Quick Access entirely, but I love it and use it all the time, but in conjunction with a number of pinned folders.

 

[britechguy]

Not impressed with on-board Windows Security at all.

That's a shock. It's the only thing I recommend anymore, and has been rock solid for me for years. And that's not just my opinion.

Look at the most recent testing results from the following antivirus/security testing labs, along with the historical results from the past several years if you want to see how Windows Security/Defender has been performing. Windows Security has been solidly in the top 10, often top 5, and frequently beats out several well-known competitors that one must pay for.

AV Test

AV Comparatives

SE Labs (Reports Page)

MRG Effitas (360 Protection Testing Category)

 

[axe0]

I want to preface this by saying the following question is not meant as snark, nor to start an argument, but is of genuine curiosity: Why are you keeping machines on out of support (way out of support) versions of Windows 10?

I am not keeping machines out of support. I did not say I manage them or anything, just that I access them from time to time. I own 2 out of ~10 Windows 10 machines at home and the rest is owned by family members. I am not going to force anyone to update their Windows in my family, some haven't had the greatest experience (hence why I access their pc's from time to time) and then some can't have much downtime with Windows 10 of whom a few are currently fighting in the frontline against COVID.

 

[britechguy]

Like I said, it was a curiosity question, which you've answered.

I would make a different choice than you have, but different people make different choices.

The risks posed by staying on an out-of-support version of Windows 10 outweigh any risk posed by updating to 20H2, in my opinion, if your hardware will support it. But everyone has choices they get to make, and to live with whatever results, good or bad, come of those choices.

(By the way, it was your choice of phrasing, "considering the Windows 10 pc's at home," that triggered that question to begin with. When I read, "at home," I think, "in the household and location one lives in.")