ENVy Computer Compare v2.0.5
(c) 2011 by Zorin Software Solutions

I.  Introduction

ENVy Computer Compare is a utility/aid that is used to troubleshoot situations involving multiple PC machines.  It works by comparing tens of thousands of items and their properties between two or more PC machines for the purpose of identifying differences.  These differences can then be applied to your troubleshooting process to help you isolate the problem faster.

ENVy automates the manual process of going back and forth, manually looking for differences and does in 10 seconds what would take hours to do by hand.  ENVy seeks to address the age-old question: "Why does it work on your machine?  What is different about your machine?"  

ENVy has a virtually unlimited number of use cases—it’s completely up to the user to get what they need out of the product.  ENVy is most useful when comparing machines that are supposed to be “identical” or loaded the same.

II.  The ENVy Comparison™

The ENVy Comparison™ refers to the way ENVy makes use of a superior vertical comparison instead of a traditional horizontal comparison.  

It might take a little getting used to, but by displaying the differences vertically and adjacent to one another, your eyes never have to track repeatedly from left to right just to compare a single item.  The colors also allow you identify the relevant machine without your eyes having to leave that one small area. These are additional ways that ENVy tries to save you time.

III.  Using

Unfortunately ENVy Computer Compare does not gather data remotely from other machines over a network.  It was found that even with the right permissions and administrator password, to get the WMI and Remote Registry services working over a network was impractical and far exceeded the value of using ENVy as a tool for helping you save time.  As such, ENVy must be run on the remote machine manually.

There are two options for deploying ENVy Computer Compare to the remote machine.

  1.  One option is to copy or transport (via USB stick) the ENVy binary to the remote machine.
  2.  A more convenient way is to download and run the Trial Version of ENVy Computer Compare on the remote machine (http://www.envycomputercompare.com/ENVyComputerCompare.exe).  The Trial Version will allow you to gather data and export an ENVy XML data file which can then be transferred to the local machine for comparison.  (The Trial Version does not require installation on the remote machine or the use of your activation code.)

Option #2 is ideal for situations where the remote machine is property of a 3rd-party.  There is no need to send them the binary, just have them download and use the Trial Version.  

IV.  Operation

The following steps are used to perform a comparison between two PC machines:

1.  When the program starts a window pop up asking you to select the data source and area filters for the right-side pane.  
2.  After accepting your selection, the relevant data will be scanned and populated to the right side pane on the main ENVy window.
3.  At this point, if you wish to export this data to a data file, click Export and save it.  (Once a comparison is performed, data can no longer be exported).
4.  To load another machine into the left-side pane for comparison, click Import to bring up the data source selection window again.
5.  Select the data source for the left side and accept.  
6.  The comparison will begin automatically and the right side will be appropriately colored. Please refer to the color legend shown at the bottom of the window to interpret the data in the right-side pane. 

V.  Problems?

If you have any questions or problems using ENVy, please let us know at zorin@zorinsoft.com.