🛠️ Windows Technical Maintenance Cheat Sheet

For Windows troubleshooting, system maintenance, and basic network diagnostics

Run Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator unless otherwise noted.

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1. 📦 Update Installed Applications

winget upgrade --all

Purpose: Updates applications managed by Windows Package Manager.

Useful commands:

winget upgrade

List applications with available updates.

winget list

List installed applications recognized by WinGet.

winget upgrade --all --include-unknown

Attempt to update packages where the installed version cannot be reliably determined.

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2. 🔧 Windows System File Checker

sfc /scannow

Purpose: Scans protected Windows system files and attempts to repair corrupted or modified files.

Check only:

sfc /verifyonly

Typical use: Run this when Windows is behaving strangely, applications are crashing, or system components appear damaged.

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3. 🧰 DISM Component Store Repair

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Purpose: Checks the Windows component store and repairs corruption.

Useful progression:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

Quick check for previously detected corruption.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

Performs a more detailed scan.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Attempts to repair detected corruption.

Recommended order

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

DISM can repair the component store that SFC may rely on for repairs.

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🔋 4. Battery Diagnostics

powercfg /batteryreport

Creates an HTML battery report, normally in your Windows user directory.

To specify a location:

powercfg /batteryreport /output "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\battery-report.html"

Useful information includes:

• Design capacity

• Full-charge capacity

• Battery cycles

• Recent battery usage

• Battery capacity history

• Estimated battery life

Additional power diagnostics

powercfg /energy

Generates a power-efficiency diagnostic report.

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🌐 5. DNS Cache

ipconfig /displaydns

Displays the DNS records currently cached by the Windows DNS Client.

Clear DNS cache

ipconfig /flushdns

Useful when troubleshooting:

• DNS resolution problems

• Recently changed DNS records

• Access to websites by hostname

• Local DNS inconsistencies

Additional network commands

ipconfig /all

Detailed adapter configuration.

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Release and renew DHCP configuration.

nslookup example.com

Perform a DNS lookup.

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🖧 6. MAC Address / Network Adapter Information

getmac /v

Displays MAC addresses along with adapter information.

A more detailed alternative:

ipconfig /all

Look for:

Physical Address

PowerShell alternative

Get-NetAdapter

For additional information:

Get-NetAdapter | Format-List *

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🔍 7. Useful Network Diagnostics

Test connectivity

ping 8.8.8.8

Tests basic IP connectivity.

Test DNS + connectivity

ping google.com

If 8.8.8.8 works but google.com doesn't, investigate DNS.

Trace network path

tracert google.com

Shows the path packets take toward the destination.

View active connections

netstat -ano

Shows connections, listening ports, and associated PIDs.

PowerShell:

Get-NetTCPConnection

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🛡️ 8. Windows Defender Status

PowerShell as Administrator:

Get-MpComputerStatus

Check Defender detections:

Get-MpThreatDetection

Start a Defender scan:

Start-MpScan -ScanType QuickScan

For a full scan:

Start-MpScan -ScanType FullScan

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💻 9. System Information

systeminfo

Useful for quickly collecting:

• Windows version

• Build number

• Hostname

• Installed RAM

• Boot time

• Domain/workgroup

• Hotfix information

• Network configuration

PowerShell:

Get-ComputerInfo

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🔐 10. Logged-On Users

query user

Shows interactive Windows sessions.

Also useful:

whoami

Current user.

whoami /all

Displays the user's groups, privileges, and security information.

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⚡ Quick Maintenance Runbook

For a periodic check, I would use:

winget upgrade --all

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

sfc /scannow

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /all

getmac /v

systeminfo

Then, from PowerShell as Administrator:

Get-MpComputerStatus
Get-NetAdapter

🧪 Cyber/Hacking Laptop Tip

For a dedicated security-testing laptop, I'd also keep system integrity, Defender status, network configuration, listening ports, and installed software documented. That gives you a useful baseline when something changes unexpectedly.

Quick reference:

Task	Command
Update apps	winget upgrade --all
Repair system files	sfc /scannow
Repair component store	DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Battery report	powercfg /batteryreport
DNS cache	ipconfig /displaydns
Clear DNS	ipconfig /flushdns
MAC addresses	getmac /v
Network config	ipconfig /all
Connections/ports	netstat -ano
System information	systeminfo
Current user	whoami /all
User sessions	query user
Defender status	Get-MpComputerStatus
Network adapters	Get-NetAdapter

Would you like the next version as a one-page printable cheat sheet, Kali-vs-Windows command comparison, or Windows hacking/forensics command sheet?