How to scan a Windows computer

[Lansweeper]

There are two main ways you can scan a Windows domain or workgroup computer: with a scanning agent or without a scanning agent. Regardless of which option you choose, scanned Windows data includes disks, event log entries, installed updates, logged on users, manufacturer, model, memory, monitors, motherboard, network cards, OS, processor, services, software, license keys, uptime and so on.

How to scan a Windows computer without a scanning agent

To scan a Windows domain or workgroup computer without a scanning agent, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you meet the Windows domain or workgroup scanning requirements.
2. Submit your computer for scanning by clicking the Add Scanning Target button in the Scanning > Scanning Targets section of the web console. If you have multiple scanning servers, there will be a separate configuration tab for each server. Any of the following scanning types can be used to scan a new Windows computer that has not previously been scanned: Active Directory Computer Path, Active Directory Domain, IP Range, Windows Computer or Workgroup.
   In the example below, the client computer's IP range was submitted for scanning. IP scans run on a scheduled basis.
   
   
3. Submit your Windows username and password as a credential in the Scanning > Scanning Credentials section of the web console. You can use the same username and password for all Windows computers by editing the Global Windows credential or submit a non-global credential with the Add new Credential button.
   • For domain credentials, submit a down-level logon name like NetBIOS domain name\username or a user principal name (UPN) like username@yourdomain.local.
   • For local credentials, use the format .\username.
   • Microsoft accounts like username@outlook.com can be used as credentials as well.
   
   
4. If the credential you set up is not a global credential, map the credential to your computer's domain/workgroup, name, IP address or IP range by selecting Map Credential on the same page. In the example below, the credential was mapped to the "lansweeper" domain.
   
5. Wait for your scanning schedules to trigger or initiate an immediate scan by selecting Scan now next to the scan target under Scanning > Scanning Targets. You can monitor the progress of your scan request under Scanning > Scanning Queue.
   

How to scan a Windows computer with a scanning agent

There are separate articles on how to scan Windows computers with the LsAgent or LsPush scanning agent.

The scanning agents scan largely the same data as agentless scanning methods, but have several important advantages:

• Scanning agents are immune to almost all scanning errors, including access denied and firewall errors.
• Scanning agents allow you to scan the computers of remote workers.
• Scanning agents generate a lot less traffic during scanning.
• Scanning agents can scan Home editions of Windows.
• Scanning agents do not require administrative privileges.