Troubleshoot with CMD

Here is an improved version of the command-line snippets for IT technicians, including descriptions of when to use them and their purposes.

System Information & Diagnostics

1. Check System Information

systeminfo

• Purpose: Displays OS details, installed updates, uptime, and system specifications.

• When to Use: When diagnosing system issues or gathering system details for troubleshooting.

2. Check Computer Name & Workgroup

hostname

echo %COMPUTERNAME%

• Purpose: Retrieves the current computer name.

• When to Use: When identifying the system in a networked environment.

3. Check IP Configuration & Network Status

ipconfig /all

• Purpose: Displays detailed network adapter configuration, including IP addresses, gateways, and DNS settings.

• When to Use: When troubleshooting network connectivity issues.

4. Test Network Connectivity (Ping/Tracert/NSLookup)

ping google.com

• Purpose: Checks if a host is reachable and measures response time.

• When to Use: When troubleshooting internet or internal network connectivity.

tracert google.com

• Purpose: Traces the route packets take to reach a destination.

• When to Use: When diagnosing slow connections or routing issues.

nslookup google.com

• Purpose: Queries DNS to resolve domain names to IP addresses.

• When to Use: When investigating DNS resolution issues.

5. Check Open Network Connections

netstat -ano

• Purpose: Displays active connections and listening ports, including associated process IDs.

• When to Use: When diagnosing potential malware, unauthorized connections, or network bottlenecks.

6. Check Firewall Rules

netsh advfirewall show allprofiles

• Purpose: Displays Windows Firewall status and rules.

• When to Use: When checking if the firewall is blocking a service or connection.

7. Check DNS Cache

ipconfig /displaydns

• Purpose: Shows cached DNS records.

• When to Use: When verifying if DNS resolution issues are due to outdated cache entries.

8. Flush DNS Cache (Fix DNS Issues)

ipconfig /flushdns

• Purpose: Clears the DNS resolver cache.

• When to Use: When resolving DNS-related connectivity problems.

9. Release & Renew IP Address

ipconfig /release && ipconfig /renew

• Purpose: Releases the current IP address and requests a new one.

• When to Use: When troubleshooting DHCP and IP conflicts.

Process & Service Management

10. List Running Processes

tasklist

• Purpose: Displays all running processes.

• When to Use: When identifying rogue or resource-heavy processes.

11. Kill a Process by Name or ID

taskkill /IM notepad.exe /F

taskkill /PID 1234 /F

• Purpose: Terminates a running process forcefully.

• When to Use: When a program is unresponsive or consuming excessive resources.

12. List Running Services

net start

• Purpose: Displays all running services.

• When to Use: When checking if necessary services are active.

13. Restart a Service

net stop "Spooler" && net start "Spooler"

• Purpose: Stops and restarts a service.

• When to Use: When troubleshooting issues with services like printing, networking, or updates.

Disk & File System Checks

14. Check Disk Health

chkdsk C:

• Purpose: Checks for disk errors.

• When to Use: When a system experiences slow performance or file corruption.

15. Check Disk Space

wmic logicaldisk get size,freespace,caption

• Purpose: Displays available and used disk space.

• When to Use: When diagnosing storage-related issues.

16. List Installed Programs

wmic product get name,version

• Purpose: Lists installed applications.

• When to Use: When identifying installed software or troubleshooting software issues.

17. Check for Corrupt System Files

sfc /scannow

• Purpose: Scans and repairs system files.

• When to Use: When resolving missing or corrupt system file errors.

18. Check and Repair Windows Image

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• Purpose: Repairs Windows system image.

• When to Use: When sfc /scannow fails to resolve corruption issues.

User & Permissions Management

19. List User Accounts

net user

• Purpose: Displays all user accounts.

• When to Use: When managing user accounts or checking for unauthorized users.

20. Check Group Memberships for a User

net user username

• Purpose: Lists user group memberships.

• When to Use: When verifying user permissions.

21. Reset a User’s Password

net user username newpassword

• Purpose: Resets a user’s password.

• When to Use: When a user forgets their password.

22. Enable/Disable a User Account

net user username /active:yes

net user username /active:no

• Purpose: Enables or disables an account.

• When to Use: When managing user access.

Startup & Performance

23. View Startup Programs

wmic startup get caption,command

• Purpose: Lists startup programs.

• When to Use: When identifying and disabling unnecessary startup programs.

24. Check Boot Configuration

bcdedit

• Purpose: Displays boot settings.

• When to Use: When troubleshooting boot issues.

25. Enable Safe Mode on Next Reboot

bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal

• Purpose: Forces next boot into Safe Mode.

• When to Use: When troubleshooting system instability.

Event Logs & System Monitoring

26. View Recent System Errors

wevtutil qe System /c:10 /f:text /rd:true

• Purpose: Retrieves recent system errors.

• When to Use: When diagnosing crashes or system errors.

27. Monitor Live System Events

eventvwr

• Purpose: Opens Event Viewer.

• When to Use: When investigating detailed logs.

Windows Update & Remote Admin Tasks

28. Check for Windows Updates

wuauclt /detectnow

• Purpose: Forces Windows to check for updates.

29. Restart Windows Update Service

net stop wuauserv && net start wuauserv

• Purpose: Restarts the Windows Update service.

30. Enable Remote Desktop

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" /v fDenyTSConnections /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

• Purpose: Enables Remote Desktop access.

These commands are essential for IT technicians to quickly diagnose and fix Windows issues. Let me know if you need additional details! 🚀