Vitals

Help

Answers to the questions people ask. For how to set things up, see getting started.

Contents

When does Windows ask for permission?

Only to install or remove PawnIO, the signed driver that reads the processor's temperature and fans: once when you first install, if you agree to it, and once when you uninstall. Updates never ask. Reading the processor through PawnIO means the recorder runs as administrator; everything else runs as you.

Where do the app figures come from?

From Windows' own record, the one behind Settings, Network and internet, Data usage. Windows keeps 30 days; Vitals copies it hour by hour into your history folder, so it is kept for good. Programs are named by their file, so a program you have renamed or moved can appear under its file's name.

What is the internet check?

Once a minute the recorder opens and closes one connection to Cloudflare's public address, 1.1.1.1, and times how long it takes to answer. No data is sent. A minute with no answer within three seconds is recorded as down, and shows in red on the Detail page.

What is the difference between MB/s and Mbps?

MB/s is megabytes per second; Mbps is megabits per second. A byte is eight bits, so 1 MB/s is about 8 Mbps. Internet lines and speed tests use Mbps: a line that tests at 91.6 Mbps downloads at most about 11 MB/s. The report shows both, for example 1.42 MB/s (11.9 Mbps).

Why do the figures differ from my provider's?

Vitals counts what each PC sends and receives. Your provider counts everything on the line: phones, televisions and other devices included, and some overheads the PC never sees. Add up all your PCs in the report for the nearest comparison, and expect your provider's figure to be higher.

Why is there no CPU temperature?

Reading the processor's temperature needs a small hardware driver. The one older tools use is now blocked by Windows Defender as unsafe, so Vitals never uses it. Instead setup offers PawnIO, a newer, signed driver, when you first install. If you said No and change your mind, install PawnIO yourself from pawnio.eu, then run the Vitals installer again: it starts reading through PawnIO, after asking Windows for permission once.

Is my usage private?

Yes. Your figures, including which apps you use, are kept on your PC and in the history folder you chose, and nowhere else. Nothing about your usage is ever sent to us. Vitals reaches the internet for two things only: a small file on this website, when the report opens, to see whether a newer version exists, and the once a minute internet check, which carries no data.

Does it slow the PC or use data itself?

No. The recorder takes a reading every few seconds and writes one line a minute. It uses a tiny share of the processor. It writes a few megabytes a day, one small file per hour, to the history folder, so OneDrive uploads only a few megabytes a day for it.

Why are some days missing?

A PC that is switched off, or asleep all day, records nothing, so a laptop used now and then has gaps. Minute detail only starts on the day Vitals was installed.

What does "Not split" mean?

For some older days the meter kept only one total, not download and upload separately. Those days count in every total, and show as "Not split" when the chart divides download from upload.

Does a VPN count twice?

Not in the internet totals from version 1.3. A VPN (virtual private network) adds its own connection, and its traffic also passes through your real one, so the connection totals include both. On PCs where the recorder runs as administrator, Vitals keeps the VPN's own connection apart as "VPN tunnel", and the internet figures count its traffic once. The Day by day page still lists each connection separately.

Why is some traffic "home network"?

Copying a file to another PC, a network drive or a printer in the house goes through the network cable or WiFi but never reaches the internet. From version 1.3, the recorder sorts every minute's traffic into internet, home network and VPN, from the addresses Windows reports (it keeps only the totals, never the addresses). The meter by the clock and the report then show internet use. Days before 1.3, and PCs where the recorder does not run as administrator, count in full.

How is the electricity cost worked out?

The processor and the graphics card report their own power. The recorder adds it up minute by minute, and the report prices it at the price per kilowatt hour you enter in Settings, with the dates it applies. The screen, drives, fans and power supply do not report their power, so the whole PC uses more than the figure shown. A plug in power meter at the socket would show the full figure.

What is the weekly speed test?

About half a minute of fixed work: the processor on one core and on all of them, copying in memory, and writing then reading a small file on the drive. It runs once a week between 2 and 5 am, when nobody has used the PC for half an hour and it is on mains power. The same test every week makes the results comparable, so a PC that has slowed down (heat, dust, a tired drive) shows it. The scores compare with the PC's own earlier results, not with other benchmarks. You can also run it from the Health page.

What do "very hot" and "at its limit" mean?

Every processor has a temperature it must not pass. At its limit it slows itself down to protect itself, so the PC gets slower. "Very hot" is within 10 degrees of that limit. Occasional minutes are normal under heavy work; hours every day usually mean blocked vents, dust or a fan that needs attention.

Which alerts are there, and how do I turn them off?

A Windows notification when the processor stays very hot, when a program sends far more than usual in an hour, when another of your PCs stops reporting, and when a monthly allowance you set runs low. Each can be turned off or adjusted in Settings, and every alert is listed on the Alerts page.

How does the internet speed test work?

The Live page runs Cloudflare's free speed test: it downloads and uploads test data from Cloudflare's nearest site and times it, the way Cloudflare's own page does. It takes about half a minute and uses about 140 MB of data, and it only runs when you click the button. Every result is kept, so the Internet page can show your line over time. The fast.com and Google buttons simply open those tests in your browser for comparison; their results are not kept.

Can I open the report in Chrome or another browser?

Yes. From version 1.3.1 the report is at http://localhost:2606 whenever the PC is on; bookmark it in any browser on that PC. It works only on the PC itself: other computers on the network cannot open it. The Start menu entry opens the same page in its own window.

Is it safe to give it my router's password?

The login is typed into the report on one PC, tested, and then kept only on that PC, encrypted by Windows for your Windows account. It is never written to the shared history, OneDrive or anywhere else. Vitals only reads from the router: how much went to and from the internet, and which devices are connected. It changes nothing. Forget the login in Settings at any time.

The meter has gone. How do I get it back?

Open Vitals live meter from the Start menu. It also starts by itself the next time you sign in.

Can I move the history folder?

Yes. Move the whole folder, then uninstall Vitals (keeping history) and install it again, choosing the new folder and the same PC name. Do the same on each PC.

"Windows protected your PC" appeared

Windows shows this for programs it has not seen many times before. Choose More info, then Run anyway. Download only from this website or your own copy.