Show really all events from the Windows event log

Question

I can make a custom filter for Windows event log to include really everything from all sources. But when I try to open it, it tells me the filter is too long (error 1734) and I cannot use it.

I'm looking for events and I have no idea in which folder they've been stored. Most folders don't contain much information but looking into each and every one of them takes forever and hurts my hands. I just want to see it all in one list. Can Windows do that, and how?

This is Windows 10.1511 but it might apply to older versions (Windows 7) as well. I always found that event log hard to read. Maybe I just need a better browser for it?

Solution

Nirsoft's MyEventViewer is an alternative to the MS Event Viewer. It takes some time to open and sort all events (~80 seconds to load 100,000 events on my PC), it eventually displays them all. It has sort and find capabilities, so it should save you from carpal tunnel issues.

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Edit: developer's recommended tool is now FullEventLogView. From the website:

FullEventLogView vs MyEventViewer

MyEventViewer is a very old tool originally developed for Windows XP/2000/2003. Starting from Windows Vista, Microsoft created a new event log system with completely new programming interfaces. The old programming interface still works even on Windows 10, but it cannot access the new event logs added on Windows Vista and newer systems. MyEventViewer uses the old programming interface, so it cannot display many event logs added on Windows 10/8/7/Vista. FullEventLogView uses the new programming interface, so it displays all events.

Comments

[LPChip]

+1 Brilliant tool! I wish I had known this so much longer ago.