Cheat sheets
Quick reference
File system picks, boot repair order, network diagnosis, and command map.
File systems and boot repair
| Scenario | Answer |
|---|---|
| External USB, cross-platform | exFAT |
| Internal C: | NTFS |
| Encrypt the drive | NTFS + BitLocker |
| Legacy only | FAT32 |
| 5 GB file on USB | exFAT or NTFS (not FAT32) |
- Boot hierarchy: Startup Repair → System Restore → bootrec → SFC → Reset this PC → reimage.
Network diagnosis and commands
| Issue | Command |
|---|---|
| DHCP failed | ipconfig /release && /renew |
| Can't resolve names | nslookup |
| Trace path | tracert |
| Path + packet loss | pathping |
| Ports / connections | netstat -a |
| MAC mappings | arp -a |
| Disk corruption | chkdsk C: /F |
| System files | sfc /scannow |
| List / kill process | tasklist / taskkill /IM name.exe |