{"id":13859,"date":"2026-10-27T23:56:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T23:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resizemyimg.com\/blog\/?p=13859"},"modified":"2026-10-27T23:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T23:58:11","slug":"how-to-use-powershell-and-command-prompt-to-check-network-connections-map-drives-and-diagnose-dns-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resizemyimg.com\/blog\/how-to-use-powershell-and-command-prompt-to-check-network-connections-map-drives-and-diagnose-dns-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use PowerShell and Command Prompt to Check Network Connections, Map Drives, and Diagnose DNS Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Use PowerShell for detailed checks and Command Prompt for fast fallbacks<\/strong> when a Windows PC cannot reach a server, map a shared drive, or resolve a DNS name. Microsoft includes tools such as Test-NetConnection<\/code>, Resolve-DnsName<\/code>, net use<\/code>, and nslookup<\/code> in Windows, so most checks need no extra software [source: Microsoft]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

TLDR:<\/strong> An administrator can check active connections with Get-NetTCPConnection<\/code> or netstat -ano<\/code>, map drives with New-PSDrive<\/code> or net use<\/code>, and test DNS with Resolve-DnsName<\/code> or nslookup<\/code>. For example, if 38 of 50 users cannot open \\\\fileserver\\finance<\/code>, the admin can test port 445, map the share, and confirm DNS in under five minutes. If DNS is wrong, the fix may be as simple as clearing the local cache with ipconfig \/flushdns<\/code>. PowerShell gives richer output, while Command Prompt is quick and familiar.<\/p>\n

Checking active network connections<\/h2>\n

PowerShell is usually the cleaner choice for finding live connections. It returns objects, not just text. That makes filtering easier and faster.<\/p>\n

To list active TCP connections, an administrator can run:<\/p>\n

Get-NetTCPConnection<\/code><\/pre>\n
To see only established sessions:<\/p>\n
Get-NetTCPConnection -State Established<\/code><\/pre>\n
To check whether a server answers on a specific port, this command is often the fastest:<\/p>\n
Test-NetConnection fileserver01 -Port 445<\/code><\/pre>\n
Port 445<\/strong> matters because Windows file sharing uses SMB. If that port fails, a mapped drive will likely fail too. Honestly, it feels like half of \u201cthe drive is gone\u201d tickets start with this one blocked port.<\/p>\n
Command Prompt still helps. It is blunt, but reliable:<\/p>\n
netstat -ano<\/code><\/pre>\n
This shows local addresses, remote addresses, ports, connection states, and process IDs. If a process looks suspicious, the process ID can be matched in Task Manager. For a quick reachability test, old tools still work:<\/p>\n