AkinsTech

Have you ever had a situation where your Internet connection drops for a few seconds, then comes back, then drops again, then comes back, and repeats randomly with no rhyme or reason? Getting your ISP to see the problem can be a real hassle as Murphy’s Law dictates that the problem will ALWAYS go away once you finally get them on the phone. You’ll usually get the standard “looks good on our end” with no actual resolution of the problem. Well, this script will allow you to monitor the line for hours, days, even weeks, and provide you with a timestamped activity log of exactly what was happening over that period. Armed with this type of information, you can usually get your ISP to take notice.

I actually wrote this script a few years ago when one of my clients was having these very problems. Using the log it generates, I was able to provide the ISP with meaningful numbers and exact times, and eventually they were able to correct the problem. Since then, I’ve used it many times to check the stability of a connection. Anyway, today on one of the tech forums, somebody asked how to monitor a flakey line. It got me thinking about this script, so I dusted it off and posted it to the forum. I figured while I was at it, I’d post it here as well.

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In this article I’m going to show you how to positively and directly kill unresponsive applications using some standard command-line tools. I’ll also present you with a couple batch files to make this process as easy as possible. Armed with these commands and scripts, you will be able to quickly end tasks the right way, take control over your system, and say goodbye to unresponsive applications.

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If you’re going to be using more than a handful of scripts to perform common tasks, it’s important to setup your PC properly to do this. Many people, looking for a script to solve a problem, will download that script and just stick it in any random folder on their PC. While this might not present any problems on a one-time basis, it can be difficult to manage down the road, especially if you ever change PC’s or want to use that script for some other purpose. By designating an area for scripts, making it accessible to the system, and creating an organized structure, you’ll ensure that any scripts you write or download will be easily accessible and can be better managed.

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