Which tool in Windows would you use to check network connectivity issues?

The most effective tool for checking network connectivity issues is PING. This command helps diagnose whether a specific IP address or hostname can be reached over the network. When you issue a PING command, it sends Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request messages to the target host and waits for Echo Reply messages. This process helps determine not only if the target is reachable but also measures the round-trip time for the messages, allowing users to assess the quality of the connection.

While NET USE is a command used for connecting to shared network resources, it does not assess connectivity directly. NETSTAT provides detailed information about network connections, routing tables, and network interface statistics but does not directly test connectivity to specific hosts. TRACERT traces the path packets take to a destination by recording the time taken for each hop, which can help identify where a failure occurs in the network. However, it is more complex and is not the direct tool for simply checking if a connection exists. Thus, PING is the most straightforward and widely used tool for checking network connectivity issues.