My Favorite Diagnostic Command Line Tools

Here are some of the command line tools I use most often when troubleshooting a PC or network issue. Open a command prompt and try these out. For details and available switches enter the command followed by a question mark, for example (ipconfig ?).


ipconfig (Vista, XP, 2000 & NT4.0)
This command displays IP settings of the current computer and much more.

msconfig (Vista & XP)
This is a great tool that allows to change the services and utilities that start when your PC boots up.

netsh (Vista, XP & 2000)
A network configuration tool console there is alot to this one. I use it mostly for winsock resets. At the 'netsh>' prompt, use the '?' to list the available commands and type "exit" to get back to a command prompt.

netstat (Vista & XP)
View your active network connections - try netstat -ano. This one is great for hunting malware!

nslookup(all)
A DNS name resolution tool.

pathping (Vista, XP & 2000)
A cross between the ping and traceroute utilities. Type "pathping " and watch it go.

systeminfo (Vista & XP)
This command displays common system configuration information, such as the system type, the processor type, time zone, virtual memory settings, system uptime, and much more. This program is great for creating an inventory of computers on your network.