I'm trying to find out how many hours my Windows system has been running since it was installed. I need this information to support a point I'm trying to make, but I can't seem to locate it. Google isn't helping me out, and I'm having trouble explaining what I need. Any tips on how to check this?
5 Answers
Remember, while you can look into the Power-On Hours from your disk’s SMART data, this includes all uptime, not just when Windows was running. If you change the drive, that won't be helpful for accurate tracking.
You can check the installation date by opening either Command Prompt or PowerShell and typing 'systeminfo'. This will give you some useful details about when the OS was installed.
For total uptime since installation, you might need to dig into system logs. If you still have logs from the time of installation, calculate the time based on start and shutdown events. However, if the logs don't cover that period, it could be tricky.
If this is a new build, check the SMART status of your drive. It can show the total power-on hours, which might give you an estimate of how long it's been running. Just remember, this data might not be completely accurate depending on several factors.
I usually forget about checking that, but it makes sense. It's definitely worth looking into.
If you use PowerShell, try this command: `get-ciminstance win32_operatingsystem | select installdate`. This will show you the date and time that Windows was installed, which might help you get the info you need.
That's a clever idea! SMART data could give a good insight into actual usage time. Windows itself doesn’t usually track cumulative uptime, but this could be a workaround.