Assessments

Applies To: Windows 8, Windows 8.1

Assessments are a combination of .xml and binary files that induce a specific set of states on a computer, measure and record the activity, and preserve the recorded results. The results provide metrics and sometimes recommendations for resolving issues that the assessments found. Assessments help you assess hardware or software that has been added to a computer.

Assessments and the Windows® Assessment Console are available as part of the Windows Assessment Toolkit that's available in the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK). After you install the Windows Assessment Toolkit, you can use the Windows Assessment Console to create and run a job that includes one or more assessments. You can also package jobs to run them on computers that don't have the Windows Assessment Toolkit installed.

Assessments are also available when you install Windows® Assessment Services and the Windows® Assessment Services - Client (Windows ASC). For more information, see Windows Assessment Services Technical Reference.

This diagram shows the general workflow for an assessment:

In This Section

Boot Performance (Full Boot)

This assessment provides metrics like overall shutdown and boot times. You can use it to compare the performance of the full reboot scenario (the traditional Windows 7 boot scenario) to the performance of the default shutdown and boot behaviors in Windows 8.

Connected Standby energy efficiency

This assessment measures the impact of software and devices on the battery life of a system while it is in Connected Standby. The assessment also measures the time spent transitioning into and out of Connected Standby.

Driver Certification Pre-validation

This assessment verifies that the drivers on a running Windows operating system qualify for the Windows Certification Program.

Driver Verification

This assessment verifies that an offline Windows image or a running Windows operating system contains the correct set of drivers.

Energy Efficiency

An Energy Efficiency job assesses the battery life and energy efficiency of a portable computer.

File Handling

This assessment simulates file operations like copying, moving, compressing, uncompressing, and deleting files. It also measures duration and throughput to help you evaluate the computer's performance.

First Boot Performance

This assessment identifies issues that affect the time that Windows takes to boot the computer and display the Start screen the first time that the end user starts the computer.

Internet Explorer Startup Performance

This assessment measures the time to fully render a blank page in Internet Explorer. This measurement includes the load time of the IExplore.exe process and the frame-creation and tab-creation intervals. It also measures the effect of all extensions, add-ins, and toolbars that are installed on the system. It doesn't measure any network or browsing performance.

Internet Explorer Browsing Performance

This assessment evaluates the browsing experience in Internet Explorer and the capabilities of the CPU and graphics hardware to identify performance issues.

Internet Explorer Security Software Impact

This assessment measures aspects of Internet Explorer that are typically impacted by antimalware and other browser add-ins.

Local Video Playback

This assessment measures the usage rate of a computer’s battery during full-screen local video playback.

Media Transcoding Performance

This assessment measures the transcode duration and relative speed of changing a video file to a different format or bit rate.

Memory Footprint

This assessment creates a snapshot of memory use during a series of system boots. It then helps you identify ways to improve performance and efficiency by optimizing memory use. You can also use this assessment to compare a baseline operating system image against an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) image.

Minifilter Diagnostics

Describes the minifilter diagnostic setting that's available in several assessments. You can use the minifilter diagnostic setting to measure the time that the computer spends in minifilter operations and identify minifilter drivers that are inefficient, using too much memory, or not working.

On/Off Transition Performance

Describes the system requirements, assessment settings, results, and issues that are associated with the Boot Performance (Fast Startup), Hibernate Performance, and Standby Performance assessments. These assessments measures the transition from various computer states.

Photo Handling

This assessment simulates viewing and manipulating photos, and it measures responsiveness to help you evaluate the computer's performance.

Streaming Media Performance

This assessment streams media in Internet Explorer by using video content that ranges from low resolution to high resolution. It then evaluates video playback quality based on the number of glitches that it detects.

Windows UI Performance

This assessment measures responsiveness and rendering quality while exercising workloads that simulate user activities with Windows Store apps. These activities include using search and transitioning from the Start Screen to the desktop.

Windows Media Player Performance and Quality

This assessment evaluates the performance and quality of Windows Media® Player playback and is used in a set of multimedia battery-life assessments.

Windows Store App Performance

This assessment can help you optimize your app for a better customer experience.

WinSAT Comprehensive

This assessment rates a computer's performance in several system components, like CPU, memory, disk, and graphics. Windows System Assessment (WinSAT) results express the capability of a computer's hardware configuration in numbers by using the Windows Experience Index scale of 1.0 to 9.9.

Common In-Depth Analysis Issues

Describes common in-depth analysis issues that you can view in the Windows Assessment Console and further analyze in Windows® Performance Analyzer (WPA).

Troubleshooting Assessments

Describes common problems that cause assessments to fail.

See Also

Other Resources

Windows Assessment Toolkit Technical Reference
Windows Assessment Console Technical Reference
Windows Assessment Console Step-by-Step Guide