How do I clear the events in the event logs?

Clearing Events in the Event Logs

Note: Each log must be cleared individually.

  1. Open Control Panel.

    • From the Microsoft® Windows® XP default Start menu, click Control Panel.
    • From the Windows XP classic Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, open Administrative Tools.

    • If the computer is in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools.
    • If the computer is in Classic View, double-click the Administrative Tools icon.

  3. In the Administrative Tools dialog box, click Event Viewer.

    Administrative tools dialog box

  4. In the Event Viewer window, click Application. From the Action menu, click Clear all Events.

  5. In the Event Viewer dialog box, to save the Application log, click Yes. Otherwise, click No

    Note: If the log is saved before clearing it, the user is prompted for a saving location. The logs are saved with an *.evt extension.

    Logs

  6. In the Event Viewer window, click Security. From the Action menu, click Clear all Events.

  7. In the Event Viewer dialog box, to save the Security log, click Yes. Otherwise, click No.

    Note: If the log is saved before clearing it, the user is prompted for a saving location. The logs are saved with a *.evt extension.

    Logs

  8. In the Event Viewer window, click System. From the Action menu, click Clear all Events.

  9. In the Event Viewer dialog box, to save the System log, click Yes. Otherwise, click No.

    Note: If the log is saved before clearing it, the user is prompted for a saving location. The logs are saved with an *.evt extension.

    Logs

  10. After clearing all logs in the Event Viewer, from the File menu, click Exit.

  11. In the Administrative Tools dialog box, from the File menu, click Close.