Top 30 Advance Windows CMD Troubleshooting Commands

🛠️ Top 30 Windows Troubleshooting Commands from a Desktop Support Engineer’s Perspective

When critical issues strike—network outages, disk corruption, services crashing—GUI tools may fail, slow down, or hide key details. Enter the Command Prompt (CMD) and Run: fast, lightweight, script-friendly, and available even in Safe Mode or recovery environments. These are the pro-grade tools that desktop support engineers reach for first—think of them as the diagnostic heartbeat of every Windows troubleshooting session.

The Top 30 Troubleshooting Commands

These commands are laser-focused on diagnosis and recovery—no basic file copy commands here. Each entry includes:

• Command
• Definition
• Syntax (with syntax breakdown)
• Usage examples (Simple → Advanced)

1. sfc – System File Checker

Definition: Repairs protected Windows files. (linkedin.com, lifewire.com)

Syntax:

sfc [/scannow | /verifyonly | /scanfile=path]

/scannow: scan & auto-fix;
/verifyonly: no fixes;
/scanfile: target-specific file.

Simple:

sfc /scannow

Advanced:

sfc /scanfile=%windir%\System32\kernel32.dll

2. chkdsk – Check Disk

Definition: Scans/repairs disk errors & bad sectors.

Syntax:

chkdsk [drive:] [/f] [/r]

/f: fix errors; /r: locate bad sectors.

Simple:

chkdsk C:

Advanced:

chkdsk D: /f /r

3. diskpart – Disk Partitioning

Definition: Manages partitions interactively.

Syntax:

diskpart
list disk
select disk <n>
clean
create partition primary size=...
format fs=ntfs quick

Simple:

run diskpart, then list disk

Advanced:

full partition creation script for automation

4. bootrec – Boot Repair

Definition: Repairs bootloader issues (MBR, BCD).

Syntax:

bootrec [/FixMbr | /FixBoot | /RebuildBcd]

Simple:

bootrec /FixMbr

Advanced:

bootrec /FixBoot && bootrec /RebuildBcd

5. ipconfig – Network Configuration

Definition: Displays/manages TCP/IP settings.

Syntax:

ipconfig [/all | /release | /renew | /flushdns]

Simple:

ipconfig /all

Advanced:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

6. ping – Connectivity Test

Definition: Tests network reachability.

Syntax:

ping [-t] [-l size] host

Simple:

ping google.com

Advanced:

ping -t 8.8.8.8

7. tracert – Trace Route

Definition: Reveals hops/route to destination.

Syntax:

tracert [-d] host

Simple:

tracert microsoft.com

Advanced:

tracert -d 10.0.0.1

8. pathping – Path Statistics

Definition: Route + packet loss diagnostics.

Syntax:

pathping [-q n] host

Simple:

pathping google.com

Advanced:

pathping -q 10 example.com

9. netsh – Network Configuration Utility

Definition: Deep network setting and reset tool.

Syntax:

netsh <context> <command>

Simple:

netsh interface ip show config

Advanced:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

10. netstat – Network Statistics

Definition: Shows active connections and listening ports.

Syntax:

netstat [-a] [-n] [-o] [-b]

Simple:

netstat -a

Advanced:

netstat -ano | findstr :443

11. nslookup – DNS Lookup

Definition: Queries DNS records.

Syntax:

nslookup [domain] [server]

Simple:

nslookup example.com

Advanced:

nslookup
set type=MX
example.com

12. arp – ARP Table

Definition: Manages Address Resolution Protocol cache.

Syntax:

arp -a

or

arp -d <IP>

Simple:

arp -a

Advanced:

arp -d *

13. route – Routing Table

Definition: Inspect and modify routing entries.

Syntax:
View:

route print

Add:

route add <dest> mask <mask> <gateway> IF <interface>

Simple:

route print

Advanced:

route add 192.168.2.0 mask 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.1 IF 3

14. nbtstat – NetBIOS Diagnostic

Definition: Troubleshoots NetBIOS name resolution.

Syntax:

nbtstat [-a name] [-n] [-c]

Simple:

nbtstat -a 10.0.0.5

Advanced:

nbtstat -n

15. tasklist – List Processes

Definition: Shows running processes (like Task Manager).

Syntax:

tasklist [/fi <filter>] [/fo <format>]

Simple:

tasklist

Advanced:

tasklist /fi "imagename eq svchost.exe"

16. taskkill – Terminate Processes

Definition: Force-stop processes via name or PID.

Syntax:

taskkill /IM <name> [/F]

or

/PID <n> [/T /F]

Simple:

taskkill /IM notepad.exe

Advanced:

taskkill /PID 1234 /T /F

17. systeminfo – System Overview

Definition: Displays OS/hardware/patch details.

Syntax:

systeminfo [/fo <format>]

Simple:

systeminfo

Advanced:

systeminfo /fo CSV > sysinfo.csv

18. shutdown – Shutdown/Restart

Definition: Power control for local or remote PCs.

Syntax:

shutdown [/s | /r] [/m \\<host>] [/t <sec>] [/f] [/c "msg"]

Simple:

shutdown /s /t 30

Advanced:

shutdown /r /m \\PC01 /t 0 /f /c "Patch update"

19. bootcfg – Boot Configuration (Legacy)

Definition: Modifies boot.ini in pre‑Vista systems.

Syntax:

bootcfg /rebuild

Simple:

bootcfg /rebuild

Advanced:

bootcfg /query

20. bcdedit – Boot Configuration Data

Definition: Edits bootloader settings in Vista+

Syntax:

bcdedit [options]

Simple:

bcdedit /enum

Advanced:

bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal

21. gpupdate – Policy Refresh

Definition: Forces Group Policy updates.

Syntax:

gpupdate [/force] [/target:{computer|user}]

Simple:

gpupdate

Advanced:

gpupdate /force /target:computer

22. gpresult – Policy Results

Definition: Shows applied Group Policy settings.

Syntax:

gpresult [/r | /h <file>]

Simple:

gpresult /r

Advanced:

gpresult /h policy_report.html

23. wmic – WMI Command

Definition: Retrieves system info and controls WMI.

Syntax:

wmic <alias> <operation>

Simple:

wmic cpu get name

Advanced:

wmic process where name="notepad.exe" call terminate

24. powercfg – Power Settings

Definition: Troubleshoots power/battery issues.

Syntax:

powercfg [/energy | /batteryreport]

Simple:

powercfg /energy

Advanced:

powercfg /batteryreport /output C:\battery.html

25. driverquery – Driver List

Definition: Lists driver modules and statuses.

Syntax:

driverquery [/v] [/fo <format>]

Simple:

driverquery

Advanced:

driverquery /v /fo list

26. net use – Network Shares

Definition: Manages mapped network drives/shares.

Syntax:

net use [drive:] \\server\share [/delete]

Simple:

net use Z: \\fileserver\share

Advanced:

net use Z: /delete && net use Z: \\fs01\news

27. net user – Local Users

Definition: Manages user accounts.

Syntax:

net user [username [password] /add]

Simple:

net user

Advanced:

net user jdoe P@ssw0rd! /add /expires:never

28. net session – SMB Sessions

Definition: Displays current SMB sessions.

Syntax:

net session

Simple:

net session

Advanced:

net session \\REMOTEPC /delete

29. wevtutil – Event Logs

Definition: Manages Windows Event Logs.

Syntax:

wevtutil qe <log> /f:text

Simple:

wevtutil qe System /f:text

Advanced:

wevtutil cl Application && wevtutil qe Application

30. fc – File Compare

Definition: Compares file contents.

Syntax:

fc [options] file1 file2

Simple:

fc fileA.txt fileB.txt

Advanced:

fc /b image1.iso image2.iso

(binary compare)

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5. References

• NinjaOne – 38 CMD essentials (linkedin.com)
• GeeksforGeeks – Most useful CMD commands (geeksforgeeks.org)
• Lifewire – sfc command
• Reddit sysadmin tips

In Summary: These 30 advanced CMD/Run commands are curated for serious troubleshooting—covering system repair, boot, network, Group Policy, user accounts, event logs, and more. This level of capability puts you in the driver’s seat when GUI tools fail. Bookmark it, customize it, and share it as your go-to technical reference on Google Blogger.