How to Diagnose and Troubleshoot Network Connection Issues in Windows 11 with Command Prompt

Windows 11 is the latest operating system from Microsoft that offers a variety of features and performance improvements. However, users may encounter technical issues that require troubleshooting.

One area that often causes problems is network connections. Windows 11 provides several command-line tools that are very useful to help diagnose, troubleshoot, and configure network connections, both wired and wireless. These tools have been available in Windows for years, but they still haven’t lost their usefulness

Ping

The Ping command tests the connection between your computer and other computers on the network. Ping can help identify issues such as dropped connections, high latency, or network configuration issues by sending data packets and waiting for a reply.

To use Ping, open the Command Prompt and type:

ping <IP address or URL>

For example:

ping www.windows.com

Some important options that can be used with the Ping command:

• -t: Resume ping until manually stopped by pressing Ctrl + C. This is useful for monitoring connections over a long period.
• –a: Reverses the name resolution for the destination IP address and displays the corresponding hostname. This helps verify that you’re ping the correct address.
• /n <count>: Specifies the number of echo requests to be sent. The default is 4. You can increase the amount to get more accurate results.
• /l <size>: Specifies the length in bytes of data sent in an echo request. The default is 32 bytes.
• /f: Specifies that echo requests should not be fragmented by servers on the destination path. This is useful for solving Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) problems.

By analyzing Ping results, you can find out if there is a problem with your network connection. If there is no reply or a timeout occurs, there may be a problem with the connection. High latency can indicate a bottleneck in the network path. Ping results can also help isolate whether the problem is on the local, network, or destination side.

TraceRT

 The TraceRT (Trace Route) command is similar to Ping but with some additional functionality. While Ping only tests the connection, TraceRT will display all the IP addresses, servers, and routes that the data plan passes through in its journey. This is especially useful for diagnosing bottlenecks somewhere in the network pathway. To use TraceRT, open the Command Prompt and type:

tracert <IP address or URL>

For example:

tracert www.windows.com

Some important options that can be used with TraceRT commands:

• /d: Stops commands from the IP address resolution of the intermediary router to their name; this can speed up the results.
• /h <maxhops>: Specifies the maximum number of jumps to the destination; the default is 30. You can increase this value if the destination is far outside the local network.
• /w <timeout>: Specifies the amount of time in milliseconds to wait for a reply; the default is 4000 ms (4 seconds). Increase this value if the network latency is high.
• /j <hostlist>: Specifies that requests should use the Loose Source Route option in the IP header by specifying an intermediate destination (IPv4 only) with a maximum of 9 spaced addresses.

By analyzing TraceRT results, you can see each hop that the data packet travels on its way to its destination. This allows you to identify where there might be a problem, such as an unresponsive router or server or high latency at a point in the path. With this information, you can focus more on investigating and troubleshooting specific connection issues.

IPConfig

IPConfig commands are a very useful tool for displaying detailed information about your PC’s TCP/IP configuration. By using IPConfig, you can obtain important information regarding your network connection, including IP addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways.

To use IPConfig, open Command Prompt and type:

ipconfig /all

This command will display complete information about all network adapters installed on your computer, including virtual adapters created by software or hypervisors, as well as dial-up connections.

Some additional options that can be used with the IPConfig command are:

• /all – Displays complete TCP/IP information for all network adapters on a PC, including virtual adapters created in software or by hypervisors and dial-up connections.
• /displaydns – Displays the contents of the local DNS cache, including preloaded entries from HOSTS files.
• /flushdns: Clear the local DNS cache. This is useful for addressing connectivity issues caused by incorrect entries in the cache.
• /registerdns: Restart dynamic registration for all DNS names and IP addresses configured on the PC. It can be used to troubleshoot failed DNS registration or to fix issues between the PC and DNS server without having to restart the PC.
• /release <adapter>: Sends a DHCPRELEASE message to the DHCP server to discard the current configuration and discard the IP address configuration for all adapters (if no adapter is specified) or for a specific adapter. This is useful for updating network configurations.
• /renew <adapter>: Updates the DHCP configuration for the specified adapter or all adapters if none are specified. This is very useful for resetting a network connection without having to restart the PC, although it only applies to adapters that are configured to get an IP address automatically.

Conclusion

By using command-line tools such as Ping, TraceRT, and IPConfig, you can easily diagnose and troubleshoot network connection issues in Windows 11. Understanding how to use these commands can help you keep your network connection stable and efficient.