miniguide

Debugging & Troubleshooting Cheatsheet

A guide to common debugging techniques and tools for troubleshooting systems.

🐞 General Debugging

• Check logs: tail -f /var/log/<logfile> (Linux) or Event Viewer (Windows).
• Use ping to test network connectivity.
• Use traceroute (Linux) or tracert (Windows) to trace network paths.

🛠️ System Diagnostics

• top or htop - Monitor system processes and resource usage.
• df -h - Check disk space usage.
• free -m - Check memory usage.

🔧 Network Troubleshooting

• netstat -tuln - List open ports and listening services.
• curl -v <url> - Test HTTP connections.
• nslookup <domain> or dig <domain> - DNS resolution.

💻 Application Debugging

• Use strace (Linux) to trace system calls.
• Use gdb for debugging compiled applications.
• Check application-specific logs for errors.

🐳 Docker Debugging

• docker ps - List running containers.
• docker logs <container_id> - View logs for a specific container.
• docker exec -it <container_id> /bin/bash - Access a running container’s shell.
• docker inspect <container_id> - Get detailed information about a container.

🪟 Windows Server Troubleshooting

• Use sfc /scannow to check and repair system files.
• Use chkdsk /f to check and fix disk errors.
• Use Task Manager or Resource Monitor to analyze performance issues.
• Check Event Viewer for system and application logs.

📶 Wi-Fi Troubleshooting

• Use ipconfig /all (Windows) or iwconfig (Linux) to check Wi-Fi settings.
• Restart the router and reconnect devices.
• Use ping to test connectivity to the router and external sites.
• Check for interference from other devices or networks.

💻 Common Laptop Maintenance

• Keep the operating system and software up to date.
• Regularly clean temporary files and unused programs using tools like Disk Cleanup (Windows) or bleachbit (Linux).
• Check battery health and optimize power settings using built-in tools
• Clean the keyboard and vents to prevent overheating.
• Run approved antivirus scans to ensure system security and performance. If the antvirusi is microsoft, use mpcmdrun.exe to run a full scan.
• Backup important data following appoved policies and procedures. Dont do otherwise.
• Check for driver updates to maintain hardware compatibility.
• If chocolatey is installed, use choco upgrade all to update all installed packages.
• Use choco outdated to check for outdated packages.
• Use choco list --local-only to list all installed packages.
• You can also update powershell to the latest version using winget upgrade Microsoft.Powershell.