Webaholics

Windows  has a whole array of helpful command line tools for configuring and testing Internet and LAN connections. The following is a list of useful network commands that can be used from the command prompt. A lot of these commands are intended for administrating a network, but they are great for savvy home users as well. All of the tools are run by opening a Command window and entering the appropriate command. Go to Start-Run and enter “cmd” to open a Command window.

net – Used to start, stop and view networking operations.
ipconfig – Displays the IP Address and other TCP/IP information on your system.
netstat – Returns protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections.
hostname – Displays the Microsoft networking computer name.
lpq – Displays the print queue status of an LPD printer.
ping – Verify the connectivity or a host across a network.
nbtstat – Returns protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections.
ipxroute – Displays and modifies IPX routing tables.
route – Manipulates TCP/IP routing information
tracert – Displays route taken by an ICMP to a remote host.
finger – Displays information about the user
arp – Displays or modifies information in the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) cache
getmac – Lists the MAC (Media Access Control) Address on the computer network interfaces
Add  /? to the command will provide more information e.g. ipconfig show more information about ipconfig command.

Some Applications:

Display Connection Configuration: ipconfig /all
Display DNS Cache Info Configuration: ipconfig /displaydns
Clear DNS Cache: ipconfig /flushdns
Release All IP Address Connections: ipconfig /release
Renew All IP Address Connections: ipconfig /renew
Re-Register the DNS connections: ipconfig /registerdns
Change/Modify DHCP Class ID: ipconfig /setclassid
Network Connections: control netconnections
Network Setup Wizard: netsetup.cpl
Test Connectivity: ping www.webaholics.in
Trace IP address Route: tracert
Displays the TCP/IP protocol sessions: netstat
Display Local Route: route
Display Resolved MAC Addresses: arp
Display Name of Computer Currently on: hostname
Display DHCP Class Information:ipconfig /showclassid

Notes:

Some command-line tools require the user to have administrator-level privileges on source and/or target computers.
You must have the TCP/IP network protocol installed to use the TCP/IP utilities.

Popularity: 25% [?]

The two main operating systems employed by the PC owner are windows and Linux. Although they appear very similar on the face of it there are fundamental differences in the two operating systems.

A major advantage with Linux is the price, it is completely free! Windows can be very expensive.

There are enormous differences in the way that they behave at a technical level, but I suspect what you really want to know is how they differ from the perspective of an end user.

The vast majority of people will know how to use a windows operating system. This is mainly due to the fact that every PC sold usually has the Microsoft operating system installed and the mighty Microsoft has a mighty marketing budget. The Linux marketing budget is miniscule.

The major differences in operating systems:

Linux is open source, free under GNU, Windows is a licensed OS.

Windows is developed by Microsoft, a single huge entity. Whereas Linux has many distributors such as red hat, mandrake etc.

Linux is more secure than windows in the case of virus, worms etc.

Linux works on both GUI & Console mode but windows only GUI.

Linux has multi-user, multitasking, multiprocessing, multiprogramming features.

Linux code is open source and as a result it has been tweaked and tweaked to perfection by millions of users doing it as a hobby.

Linux was developed from the UNIX operating system, Windows is a completely unique entity.

Windows security is password based, the Linux system is secured with access rights.

Windows file names aren’t case sensitive, Linux are. After reading these points you may be asking yourself why everyone isn’t using the Linux system. To put it simply, the Linux system requires a lot more technical knowledge both to install it and to maintain it as an operating system. Software that is written for windows will not work on Linux and as such it is much more difficult to buy off the shelf applications.

Microsoft’s Windows is often the best option for most people because of the required technical knowledge with Linux. It’s just good to know that there is a free alternative to Windows.

Popularity: 38% [?]

I observe all the time with my home pc customers. Their computer, for whatever reason, has been rendered unbootable and they are suddenly (and understandably) worried about the contents of the hard drive. Whether it’s hundreds (or thousands) of rupees/dollars worth of downloaded music and movies, software that was purchased and paid for online, countless hours of work on personal or business documents or the unthinkable loss of all their family photos, the sudden realization that you have never safeguarded these things can be a very unsettling prospect.

One of the first questions I ask when someone calls and tells me that their pc won’t start is if they have a recent backup of their data. It’s very rare for anyone to answer that question in the affirmative. Usually, after a moment of silence, the customer will sheepishly admit that they always intended to start backing up but never did because… [insert your favorite excuse here]. I always hate to hear this because backing up your data is vitally important and (here’s the BIG SECRET) it’s not at all difficult.

There are backup utilities and services available to consumers now that make the process so simple and automated that anyone can do it easily and quickly. And the best part is, there are so many competing products you will easily find one to fit your budget if you shop around. One word of caution, though. Don’t use the built-in backup utility in Windows. Yeah, I know, it’s already there and it’s “free”.

Trust me though, it’s cumbersome, featureless and not very dependable. You won’t like it so you won’t use it and then the next time your hard drive crashes (it will happen sooner or later), you won’t have a backup. I’ve seen it happen too many times! Third party software is definitely the way to go.

Anyway, whatever backup application you decide to use, It’s important to understand what needs to be backed up. Following is a list of things you should DEFINITELY include in your backups:

The ‘My Documents Folder’ - This is hands down the most critical folder for most people in terms of data backup. This is where all of your personal and sometimes irreplaceable data is stored. By default, it contains all of your photos, music, documents, videos, etc. In some cases, such as photos and home videos, if these items are lost or corrupted, they are gone forever and cannot be replaced. (Imagine telling your wife that all of the baby pictures are gone!)

Your Accounting Data - If you use personal or business accounting software on your pc, backing up the data file on a regular basis is an absolute MUST! Enough said.

Your Email Address Book - You have a lot of important contact information that you have gathered over the years. Backing up this data is especially critical if you are a business person and you utilize email in your daily business schedule.
 
A couple of things you may want to consider backing up even though they aren’t critical are:

Your Internet ‘Favorites’ Folder - Although it’s not the end of the world if the contents of this folder are lost, trying to remeber the url’s of your favorite websites can be a daunting task.
 
Your Windows User Settings – These are the setting that ‘personalize’ your user account. Desktop backgrounds, screensavers, etc.

Things you don’t need to bother with backing up include:

Windows – You should already have a copy of your OS on disk.

Any programs that you installed from disks – You need to back up the data files, but not the program itself. Reinstall that from the disk.

Popularity: 35% [?]