Understanding EVTX Issues
Typical EVTX Opening Challenges
Microsoft Event Viewer Isn't There
Double-clicking your EVTX file prompts the message "%%os%% Can't Open EVTX File". Customarily, this means that Microsoft Event Viewer is not installed on %%os%%. The OS won't know what to do with your EVTX file, so double-clicking to load the file doesn't work.
Tip: If you don't have Microsoft Event Viewer installed, and you know of another program to open your EVTX file, you can try opening it by selecting from the programs listed under "Show Apps".
Obsolete Version of Microsoft Event Viewer
In some cases, you might have a newer (or older) version of a Windows 7 Event Log File file that is unsupported by your installed application version. If you do not have the proper version Microsoft Event Viewer (or any of the other programs listed above), you may need to try downloading a different version of it, or one of the other software applications listed above. This problem is predominately due to having a Windows 7 Event Log File file version that was created by a newer version of Microsoft Event Viewer than what you have installed on your PC.
Tip: If you right-click on your EVTX file, then select "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac), you can obtain hints about what version you need.
Summary: Not having the right Microsoft Event Viewer version on your computer can cause problems opening EVTX files.
Associated Difficulties Loading EVTX Files
Assuming you have the right Microsoft Event Viewer version installed, other problems can prevent you from opening EVTX files. There can be other issues - unrelated to software - preventing you from opening EVTX files. These other problems include (listed in order from most to least common):
- File references in the Windows Registry for EVTX are wrong
- Accidental deletion of the description of the EVTX file in the Windows registry
- Defective install of a EVTX program, such as Microsoft Event Viewer
- File corruption affecting your EVTX file
- The EVTX is infected with a virus
- Drivers associated with EVTX software need to be updated
- Windows cannot load your Windows 7 Event Log File file due to insufficient resources (eg. RAM)
Quiz: Which file extension is not a type of document?
That's Correct!
ODS files are an OpenDocument Spreadsheet based on XML formatting. Although they are related to productivity, these are spreadsheets, not documents. :)
Close, but not quite...
ODS files are an OpenDocument Spreadsheet based on XML formatting. Although they are related to productivity, these are spreadsheets, not documents. :)