Michael Doyle | Blog » Windows Utilities

Windows – See what programs are accessing the Internet

Michael Doyle — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:25:38 +0000

Discovered a handy windows command that displays all active internet connections. This can be really handy for spyware/adware/malware/virus checking. It works on Vista and XP. Here's what to do:

Click Start - Run
Type "cmd"
In the command prompt type "netstat -b"

A list of results like the following should appear that look like this:

The table lists the following:

Proto: The protocol being used by the process
Local Address: The local address of the process
Foreign Address: The remote address of the process
State: Which state of connection the process is in
PID: The process identifier (Each process is given an ID, this can be siaplyed in Task Manager by customizing the columns of the processes tab, click here to see a tutorial)
The name of the process: This is the name of the process which is trying to access the network, it is placed in square brackets, i.e. "[application_name.exe]"

If the name of the process doesn't look familiar check a site like ProcessLibrary, this will list what each process does.

A more indepth article covering netstat is located here:

http://commandwindows.com/netstat.htm

No related posts.

PC Build – PSU Calculator

Michael Doyle — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:31:22 +0000

Lifehacker has just posted up an article about an application which estimates what kind of PSU is needed for your PC. I haven't downloaded it yet, but it's definitely worth keeping if you're upgrading your PC. It's called eXtreme Power Supply Calculator.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

Hardware – Upgrading a Graphics Card

Windows Utility – Nimi

Michael Doyle — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:24:26 +0000

Nimi (freeware) is a Windows XP visual tweaker, Lifehacker has more information about it.

http://lifehacker.com/5255874/nimi-adds-visual-effects-and-eye-candy-to-windows

XP Skin – Royal Noir

XP Skin – Royal Noir

Michael Doyle — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:10:00 +0000

Windows XP has a limited amouunt of skins, Royal Noir is a certified XP Skin. You can read more about it over at www.istartedsomething.com

I uploaded the theme to my server, just as a backup. It can be downloaded here.

Install directions:

Extract files to “C:\windows\resources\themes\royale noir”
Double click on “luna.msstyles”
Select “Noir” from “Color Scheme”

Windows Utility – Nimi

Photoshop – SpeedUp

Michael Doyle — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:53:02 +0000

This utility allows you to disable filters and plugins from loading in Photoshop at start up to decrease load times. Related posts:Photoshop – Actions Photography – Photoshop Actions Photoshop – Designing Web Elements Related posts:

Windows Utility – Visualise your HD

Michael Doyle — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:44:55 +0000

I've been using WinDirStat for quite a while now. It's a windows utility which analyzes your hard drive, graphically displays what files it's made up of and how big those files are. It's a really good utility to find some big files that may be taking up too much room in a dark corner of your PC.

Photoshop – SpeedUp