Online Event Information
Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista
Logged events include a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link to a Microsoft Web site or a Web site that you can define. When you view an event, you can click Event Log Online Help, which sends a request in the form of a query to obtain additional information about the event. The data that is sent is limited to only what is needed to retrieve more information about the event. For more information, please read our privacy statement online.
If you want to define the URL that is associated with the Event Log Online Help link to reference a Web site other than the Microsoft Web site, you can either Define the URL in the Registry or you can Define the URL in an Instrumentation Manifest for a publisher. If you define the URL in the registry, the link that you use will be the same for all events that are published on the computer where the registry is located. A URL that is defined in the registry will override all URLs defined in instrumentation manifests for publishers.
When you click Event Log Online Help, the following parameters are included with the URL and are passed to the Web site:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Product Name |
The name of the product that is associated with the publisher of the event. |
Product Version |
The version of the product that is defined in the Product Name parameter. |
Event ID |
The identification number that was assigned to the event. |
Event Source |
The name of the log where the event was published. |
Locale ID |
The identification number for the locale of the computer where the event originated. |
Define the URL in the Registry
You can modify both the URL associated with the Event Log Online Help link and the program that is used to display the results returned from the Web site that is defined in the URL. The configuration settings are stored in the registry under the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\EventViewer\ registry key.
The following list describes the registry entries that appear under that key and how they enable you to configure the behavior of the event log online help.
| Registry Entry | Description |
|---|---|
MicrosoftRedirectionProgram |
Specifies the program that is used to display the information that is returned from the Web site that is associated with the Event Log Online Help link. |
MicrosoftRedirectionProgramCommandLineParameters |
Specifies the parameters that are passed to the program that is specified in the MicrosoftRedirectionProgram entry. |
MicrosoftRedirectionURL |
Specifies the URL that is associated to the Event Log Online Help link. The default value of the entry is: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp. |
Define the URL in an Instrumentation Manifest
You can define the URL for the Event Log Online Help link in an instrumentation manifest. To define a URL in an instrumentation manifest you must add the helpLink attribute to the provider element. The following example shows a helpLink attribute defined for a provider.
<provider name="Microsoft-Windows-EventLogSamplePublisher"
guid="{1db28f2e-8f80-4027-8c5a-a11f7f10f62d}"
symbol="MICROSOFT_SAMPLE_PUBLISHER"
resourceFileName="C:\temp\Publisher.exe"
messageFileName="C:\temp\Publisher.exe"
helpLink="https://www.contoso.com">
For more information about instrumentation manifests, see Instrumentation Manifests for Event Publishers.