XP Network Diagnostic Tool

Troubleshooting network issues can be frustrating and mysterious. The XP Network Diagnostic Tool built into Windows XP can help scan your computer and the network for issues that may be preventing you from accessing network shares or the Internet. There are ways to manually check these things, but this tool is fast and easy to launch. Simply go to Start>Run and copy and paste %windir%\network diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe into the dialogue box and hit OK.

The test covers the following:

The wizard will run and guide you through a couple clicks and display whatever problems it finds with your computer’s network adapter, or problems relating to the modem or router. Granted, it might not lead you to a detailed course of action to resolve the problem, but it will give you a place to start. Running this diagnostic tool will save you time and allow you to attack the problem immediately instead of wasting time diagnosing components that are working fine. Vista and Windows 7 have a similar tool build into the Networking section.