Proactive Computer Monitoring Tool

Continuous monitoring for Windows computers that tracks availability and performance metrics, sends notifications, and speeds up troubleshooting.

What should a computer monitoring tool track?

A practical computer monitoring tool should give you real-time visibility into system health and availability, not just one-off snapshots. It should collect consistent metrics across Windowscomputer systems (and connect to broader IT infrastructure and network monitoring) and present the results in clear dashboards with thresholds and notifications.

With PRTG, you can use one monitoring solution for computer monitoring, system monitoring, and performance monitoring. You can track key Windows metrics like uptime, disk health status for hard drives, and CPU usage, so IT professionals can start diagnostics and troubleshooting with data instead of guesswork.

Supported technologies: Windows monitoring via WMI and performance counters (hybrid approach where applicable), auto-discovery for devices reachable in the probe’s network (primarily intended for devices in the same network as your probes), disk health monitoring (WMI Disk Health sensor), uptime monitoring (Windows System Uptime sensor), battery/UPS monitoring (metrics depend on what the laptop/UPS exposes; SNMP UPS support depends on the device), and Windows update status monitoring (Windows Updates Status (PowerShell) sensor).

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PRTG is compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems

What You Can Track and Manage on Windows Systems

Disk Health Visibility Across Windows Systems

Disk health status across Windows systems is most useful when it's tracked consistently over time, not checked reactively after performance changes.

PRTG's computer monitoring software includes the WMI Disk Health sensor, so you can track disk health and operational status over time. Set thresholds and use notifications to react to changes you care about, using the same dashboard view you already use for other monitoring capabilities.

Disk health status and operational state in one view
Threshold-based notifications when health values change
Near Real-time dashboards for quick triage
Trend visibility for smarter replacement planning

Get Uptime Metrics You Can Trust

Consistent uptime tracking gives post-incident reviews a reliable data foundation and makes troubleshooting timelines easier to reconstruct.

With PRTG monitoring software, you can track uptime consistently on Windows computer systems and keep history for reviews. This supports clearer reporting for IT infrastructure operations and helps with troubleshooting because you can compare downtime with other system metrics on your dashboards.

Continuous uptime monitoring for Windows systems
Availability history to support troubleshooting and reviews
Reports that summarize downtime (scope depends on reporting configuration)
Clear dashboards for IT professionals and stakeholders

See Patch Status Without Manual Checks

A central view of patch status makes it straightforward to see what's current across your Windows systems and act on what needs attention.

PRTG includes the Windows Updates Status (PowerShell) sensor to monitor Windows update status and counts of available and installed updates from Microsoft or WSUS. That gives you one place to track update-related metrics, set thresholds, and use notifications to keep the status visible without turning this into a separate tool.

Central visibility into Windows update status
Thresholds and notifications to reduce “silent drift”
Faster remediation prioritization
Supports compliance-minded workflows (without compliance guarantees)

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PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Keep Laptop and UPS Batteries Predictable

Battery wear and UPS runtime are worth tracking consistently, especially with laptops and UPS-backed workstations where gradual decline affects day-to-day operations.

PRTG can support hardware monitoring for battery/UPS runtime where the device exposes the data. You can track those metrics on a dashboard, set thresholds, and use notifications when runtime drops below what you consider safe, without claiming the same data is available on every model.

Battery/runtime metrics where exposed by laptop/UPS
Notifications when runtime drops below your threshold
Trend visibility for replacement planning
Dashboards for quick fleet checks

One Dashboard for Windows and Beyond

Bringing Windows system monitoring and broader network monitoring into one place means your team works from shared data and context during troubleshooting.

PRTG is a monitoring tool that can combine Windows system checks with broader network monitoring and other monitoring capabilities in one place. You can build dashboards that match how your team works, and use thresholds and notifications to keep the signal clear. The result is a shared view that supports faster troubleshooting, without claiming business-style KPI reporting.

One dashboard for core Windows system monitoring signals
Shared visibility for faster handoffs during troubleshooting
Threshold-based alerting to cut noise
Scales from a small setup to broader IT infrastructure coverage

How PRTG Monitors Computer Systems

This section summarizes the main ways PRTG collects Windows metrics and how it structures them so you can trend, alert, and review the data.

WMI And Counters

PRTG can query Windows metrics via WMI or Windows performance counters, depending on the sensor and your Windows Compatibility Options. If you enable a hybrid approach where applicable, the sensor tries performance counters first and uses WMI as a fallback if performance counter queries fail. This helps you keep system monitoring consistent across different Windows versions and configurations without changing your workflow.

Auto Discovery

Auto-discovery can create an initial set of sensors for devices in your network, which is helpful when you want a fast baseline across many computer systems. It’s primarily intended for devices that are reachable in the same network as your probes, so plan coverage with that in mind. After discovery, you typically refine the setup by adjusting which sensors you keep and what thresholds make sense for each system or group.

Sensors And Channels

In PRTG, a sensor is a defined check (for example, a disk health sensor or uptime sensor), and sensors return one or more channels. Channels are the individual metrics you chart over time, compare across systems, and use for troubleshooting. This structure makes it easier to build dashboards that show the right level of detail for IT professionals, from quick status views to more in-depth diagnostics.

Threshold Alerting

Thresholds are the core of how PRTG turns monitoring data into something you can act on. You define limits for the metrics you care about (for example, CPU usage, disk health status changes, or counts of available updates), and PRTG checks those values on the scan interval you set. When a value crosses a threshold, PRTG sends notifications based on your rules, so alerts stay tied to measurable changes instead of assumptions.

Dashboards And Views

PRTG dashboards let you bring system monitoring and performance monitoring views together so you can see what matters at a glance. You can create different dashboard views for different teams or responsibilities (for example, a Windows-focused view vs. a service-focused view), and you can group computer systems in ways that match your environment. Like any monitoring setup, dashboards take some time to tune, especially if you want to optimize for low noise and fast troubleshooting.

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Manual Computer Monitoring vs. Monitoring with PRTG

FEATURE	Without PRTG Without PRTG	With PRTG With PRTG
Disk health monitoring signals and alerts	Without PRTG Spot checks and ad-hoc reviews	With PRTG Continuous monitoring with thresholds and notifications
Uptime measurement and reporting	Without PRTG Inconsistent checks and partial logs	With PRTG Continuous uptime history for reviews and troubleshooting
Patch status visibility	Without PRTG Per-system checks	With PRTG Central view of update status and counts of available/installed updates
Battery/UPS runtime visibility	Without PRTG Local checks, device-by-device	With PRTG Monitoring where the device exposes metrics, with thresholds
Troubleshooting workflow	Without PRTG Guesswork and scattered data	With PRTG Historical metrics + dashboards + consistent thresholds

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There are around 20 people within the business across various departments using PRTG who look at the dashboard, but the beauty of it is that we don't really have to look at it. In terms of its day-to-day use, we just let it do its thing, and we just act on alerts when necessary.

Ollie Kerslake, Infrastructure Lead

Riverford Organic Farmers

“The tool has given us greater control over all types of devices connected to the network (switches, IP telephony, security cameras, IoT, WiFi) that previously remained opaque when dealing with service incidents. This has improved our ability to diagnose and resolve problems, which has translated into greater efficiency and a better user experience in both internal and public services.”

Jordi Tolosà Bel, New Technologies Technician

Vinaroz City Council

“Our objective was to be able to monitor the health of our most critical servers containing data and applications, but also the flows and bandwidth between headquarters, our 50 servers in the cloud and the 15 servers at our production sites. For us, it is essential to have a proactive approach to understand where the weaknesses of the IT system are to be able to improve them.”

Marc Boullier, CIO

Carambar & Co

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor licenses & pricing

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License Name	Price	License Details	Get started	Pricing Details
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PRTG 1000	^$358	per month paid annually	Buy now Buy now	Enough to monitor multiple aspects of 100 devices
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Computer Monitoring Tool: Frequently Asked Questions

What is “computer monitoring” in IT infrastructure?

In IT, computer monitoring means tracking availability and performance metrics for endpoints and servers so you can spot potential issues early and shorten troubleshooting. A good monitoring solution focuses on metrics you can trend, alert on, and review.

Does PRTG support Windows 10 and Microsoft environments?

PRTG is commonly used for Windows monitoring, including Windows 10 systems in Microsoft environments. Exact compatibility depends on what you monitor (WMI, performance counters, PowerShell, SNMP) and your setup.

Which metrics can I monitor on Windows computers with PRTG?

Typical system monitoring includes uptime, CPU usage, disk-related status, and update status. The exact metrics depend on the sensors you use and what the target system exposes via WMI, counters, or PowerShell.

Can PRTG monitor Linux and macOS systems too?

PRTG can be used across different operating systems as part of broader IT infrastructure monitoring, including Linux and mac systems. The available metrics and methods depend on the platform and protocol.

How do thresholds and notifications work in PRTG?

You define thresholds for selected metrics, then choose how you want notifications to be sent. This keeps alerts tied to measurable values, and helps you optimize signal vs noise.

Can I access dashboards on mobile devices (Android/iOS apps)?

PRTG supports access options for mobile devices, including apps for Android and iOS, so you can check dashboards and receive notifications while away from your desk.

How does pricing work for PRTG monitoring software?

PRTG pricing depends on the edition and monitoring scale (for example, how many sensors you use and what scope you monitor). For a decision, it’s best to match pricing to the monitoring capabilities you need.

Can PRTG monitor CPU temperature or fan speeds?

Sometimes, but it depends on what the hardware and Windows expose. For things like CPU temperature, fan speeds, GPU data, overheating signals, or other processor-level telemetry, you may need vendor interfaces or custom sensors. Avoid assuming these are available out of the box on every system.