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GFlags (gflags.exe), the Global Flag Editor, enables and disables advanced internal system diagnostic and troubleshooting features. It is most often used to turn on indicators that other tools track, count, and log.
The version of GFlags described in this document includes the functions of PageHeap (pageheap.exe), a heap allocation monitoring tool included in previous versions of Windows.
Driver developers and testers often use Gflags to turn on logging and test features, either directly, or by including Gflags commands in a test script. The page heap verification features can help you to identify memory leaks and buffer errors in kernel-mode drivers.
You can find this version of GFlags in the \Support\Tools folder of Windows® XP and Windows Server 2003 CDs. Versions of GFlags and PageHeap for Windows 2000 are included in the \Support\Tools folders on Windows 2000 CDs.
GFlags has both a dialog box and a command-line interface, but some features are accessible from only one of the interfaces. To use most GFlags features, including setting flags in the registry or in kernel mode, or enabling page heap verification, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the computer. However, users with at least Guest account access can launch a program from the Global Flags dialog box.
This topic includes:
Caution Incorrect use of this tool can degrade system performance or prevent Windows from starting, requiring you to reinstall Windows.
Important Pool tagging is permanently enabled on Windows Server 2003 and later versions of Windows. On these systems, the Enable pool tagging checkbox on the Global Flags dialog box is dimmed and commands to enable or disable pool tagging fail.