Diagnosing network problems
Windows XP (especially the Professional version) makes networking much easier than it used to be. There are a variety of tools for managing networks and for diagnosing problems. Most of the tools are in command-line form such as the network services suite “netsh” and the TCP/IP commands but there are also some useful graphical interface accessories.
Recently, Microsoft has introduced the graphical Network Diagnostics Tool, which is discussed in this article by Charlie Russel. Unfortunately, downloading and installing the tool is quite convoluted. You have to have Windows XP SP2 and go through the Windows Genuine Advantage folderol. Also the download link is buried in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article. However, I have copied the download link here. Here is what Russel says about the tool
In the five-plus years I’ve been writing about Windows XP for the Expert Zone, I’ve often written about networking problems. Those networking columns have consistently generated the most e-mail from readers. In the community, networking problems continue to be the source of many questions and quite a bit of frustration. Clearly, networking is an area that still causes a lot of problems for people. The newest Microsoft tool, the Network Diagnostics tool for Windows XP, is designed to help. And, after running it against some typical network problems on my test machines, I’d have to say that Network Diagnostics is indeed a useful tool. In this article I will explain how to run it and what it does (and doesn’t) do.