Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions for Linux users working with Windows systems, including diagnostic tools and recovery procedures.

Common Linux-to-Windows Gotchas

File System Issues

Problem	Symptoms	Linux Expectation	Windows Reality	Solution
Case sensitivity	File not found errors	file.txt ≠ File.txt	Same file	Use consistent casing
Path separators	Script failures	Forward slash /	Backslash \	Use os.path.join() or similar
Long paths	Path too long errors	No practical limit	260 char limit	Enable long path support
File locking	Cannot delete/modify	Immediate access	Files may be locked	Close applications, use handle tools
Hidden files	Missing dot files	.bashrc visible	Hidden by default	Show hidden files or use attrib
Line endings	Git issues	LF (\n)	CRLF (\r\n)	Configure Git autocrlf

Permission Problems

Issue	Linux Approach	Windows Approach	Solution
No sudo	sudo command	Right-click → Run as Administrator	Use admin shell or UAC
Execute permissions	chmod +x file	File extension or properties	Rename to .exe or change properties
Ownership	chown user:group file	Security tab in properties	Use takeown or security properties
Group permissions	chgrp group file	Security tab permissions	Add groups in security properties

Network Configuration

Problem	Linux Solution	Windows Equivalent	Notes
IP configuration	ifconfig	ipconfig	Different syntax
DNS resolution	dig	nslookup	Different output format
Network restart	systemctl restart networking	Disable/enable adapter	No single command
Firewall	iptables, ufw	Windows Defender Firewall	GUI-based configuration

Diagnostic Tools

System Information Tools

Purpose	Windows Tool	Linux Equivalent	How to Access
System overview	msinfo32	neofetch, lshw	Run dialog → msinfo32
Hardware info	Device Manager	lshw, lspci	Right-click Computer → Manage
Process info	Task Manager	htop, ps	Ctrl+Shift+Esc
Event logs	Event Viewer	journalctl, /var/log/	Run dialog → eventvwr
Performance	Performance Monitor	vmstat, iostat	Run dialog → perfmon
Network config	ipconfig /all	ip addr show	Command prompt

Event Viewer Navigation

Windows + R → eventvwr.msc

Key Log Categories:

• Windows Logs → System: Hardware and driver issues
• Windows Logs → Application: Application crashes and errors
• Windows Logs → Security: Security events and logons
• Applications and Services Logs: Specific application logs

Common Event IDs for Linux Users:

Event ID	Source	Meaning	Linux Equivalent
1074	System	System shutdown	/var/log/syslog shutdown entries
6005/6006	EventLog	Service start/stop	systemctl status
4624/4625	Security	Login success/failure	/var/log/auth.log
7034	Service Control Manager	Service crashed	Service failure logs

PowerShell Diagnostic Commands

Task	PowerShell Command	Linux Equivalent
System info	Get-ComputerInfo	uname -a, hostnamectl
Hardware	Get-WmiObject Win32_ComputerSystem	lshw
Disk space	Get-WmiObject Win32_LogicalDisk	df -h
Running processes	Get-Process	ps aux
Network config	Get-NetIPConfiguration	ip addr
Service status	Get-Service	systemctl status
Event logs	Get-EventLog System	journalctl

Common Error Messages

Application Errors

Error	Cause	Linux Equivalent	Solution
"Application failed to start correctly (0xc000007b)"	Missing/wrong architecture DLLs	Library dependency issues	Install Visual C++ Redistributables
"MSVCP140.dll was not found"	Missing Visual C++ runtime	Missing shared libraries	Install Visual C++ 2015-2019 Redistributable
"Access is denied"	Insufficient permissions	Permission denied	Run as administrator or check permissions
"The system cannot find the file specified"	Missing file or wrong path	No such file or directory	Check path and file existence

Network Errors

Error	Meaning	Linux Equivalent	Troubleshooting
"Network path not found"	Cannot reach network resource	Connection refused	Check network connectivity, firewall
"DNS name does not exist"	DNS resolution failure	Name resolution failure	Check DNS settings, try IP address
"Connection timed out"	Network timeout	Connection timed out	Check firewall, network connectivity
"Access denied"	Authentication failure	Permission denied	Check credentials, shares permissions

Windows-Specific Errors

Error Code	Meaning	Troubleshooting Steps
0x80070005	Access denied	Check permissions, run as administrator
0x80004005	Unspecified error	Check Event Viewer for details
0x80070002	File not found	Verify file path, check for typos
0x8007000E	Out of memory	Close applications, restart system

Performance Troubleshooting

Task Manager Deep Dive

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Tabs Explained for Linux Users:

Tab	Purpose	Linux Equivalent
Processes	Running applications	htop, ps aux
Performance	System resources	vmstat, iostat
App history	Resource usage over time	Long-term monitoring tools
Startup	Boot programs	/etc/init.d/, systemd services
Users	Per-user processes	ps -u username
Details	All processes with details	ps auxf
Services	System services	systemctl list-units

Performance Monitor (perfmon)

Windows + R → perfmon

Useful Counters for Linux Users:

Counter	Purpose	Linux Equivalent
Processor → % Processor Time	CPU usage	top, CPU%
Memory → Available MBytes	Free memory	free -m
PhysicalDisk → % Disk Time	Disk usage	iostat
Network Interface → Bytes/sec	Network throughput	iftop, nethogs

Resource Monitor (resmon)

Windows + R → resmon

Tabs and Linux Equivalents:

• CPU: Like htop with detailed process info
• Memory: Like free with process breakdown
• Disk: Like iotop showing disk activity
• Network: Like netstat and ss combined

Network Troubleshooting

Network Commands Comparison

Task	Windows Command	Linux Command	Notes
Check connectivity	ping hostname	ping hostname	Same syntax
Trace route	tracert hostname	traceroute hostname	Different command name
DNS lookup	nslookup hostname	dig hostname	Different output format
Network config	ipconfig /all	ip addr show	Different syntax
ARP table	arp -a	arp -a	Same syntax
Routing table	route print	ip route show	Different syntax
Network connections	netstat -an	ss -tulpn	Similar functionality

Network Troubleshooting Steps

1. Basic connectivity: ping 8.8.8.8
2. DNS resolution: nslookup google.com
3. Local network: ping gateway_ip
4. Port connectivity: telnet hostname port
5. Firewall check: Windows Defender Firewall settings

Firewall Troubleshooting

# Check firewall status
Get-NetFirewallProfile

# List firewall rules
Get-NetFirewallRule | Where-Object {$_.Enabled -eq "True"}

# Test port connectivity
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName hostname -Port 80

WSL Troubleshooting

Common WSL Issues

Problem	Symptoms	Solution
WSL won't start	"WSL is not installed"	Enable Windows features, restart
Poor performance	Slow file operations	Keep files in WSL filesystem
Network issues	Cannot access services	Check Windows firewall
File permissions	Permission denied errors	Use WSL filesystem for development
Memory issues	Out of memory	Configure WSL memory limits

WSL Diagnostic Commands

# Check WSL status
wsl --status

# List installed distributions
wsl --list --verbose

# Check WSL version
wsl --version

# Update WSL
wsl --update

# Restart WSL
wsl --shutdown

WSL Performance Issues

# .wslconfig in %USERPROFILE%
[wsl2]
memory=4GB          # Limit memory usage
processors=2        # Limit CPU cores
swap=1GB           # Set swap size
localhostForwarding=true

System Recovery

Safe Mode

Access Safe Mode:

1. Hold Shift while clicking Restart
2. Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings
3. Restart and press F4 for Safe Mode

Linux Equivalent: Single-user mode or recovery mode

System File Checker

# Check system files (run as administrator)
sfc /scannow

# Check and repair
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Linux Equivalent: debsums (Debian) or package verification

System Restore

Control Panel → Recovery → Open System Restore

Linux Equivalent: Timeshift, LVM snapshots, or Btrfs snapshots

Reset Windows

Settings → Update & Security → Recovery → Reset this PC

Options:

• Keep my files: Reinstall Windows, keep personal files
• Remove everything: Complete wipe and reinstall

Boot Troubleshooting

Boot Problems

Problem	Symptoms	Solution
Boot loop	Endless restart	Safe mode, system restore
Blue screen	BSOD on startup	Check hardware, drivers
Slow boot	Long startup time	Check startup programs
No boot device	"Boot device not found"	Check BIOS/UEFI settings

Boot Configuration

# List boot entries
bcdedit /enum

# Repair boot configuration
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd

Dual-Boot Issues

Problem	Cause	Solution
Missing Linux entry	Windows update overwrote GRUB	Restore GRUB from Linux live USB
Time sync issues	Different time standards	Set Windows to use UTC
Shared partition problems	File system corruption	Check file system integrity

Hardware Troubleshooting

Device Manager

Windows + X → Device Manager

Common Issues:

• Yellow triangle: Driver issue or hardware problem
• Red X: Disabled device
• Unknown device: Missing driver

Hardware Diagnostic Tools

Tool	Purpose	Linux Equivalent
Device Manager	Hardware status	lspci, lsusb
Disk Management	Disk partitions	fdisk, parted
Memory Diagnostic	RAM testing	memtest86
Check Disk	File system check	fsck

Memory Diagnostic

Windows + R → mdsched

Options:

• Restart now and check for problems
• Check for problems the next time I start my computer

Registry Troubleshooting

Registry Backup

# Export registry key
reg export "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MyApp" backup.reg

# Import registry key
reg import backup.reg

Common Registry Issues

Problem	Location	Solution
Startup programs	HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run	Remove unwanted entries
File associations	HKCR	Reset file associations
System settings	HKLM\SYSTEM	Use System Restore

Warning: Always backup registry before making changes.

Antivirus and Security

Windows Defender Issues

# Check Windows Defender status
Get-MpComputerStatus

# Update definitions
Update-MpSignature

# Run scan
Start-MpScan -ScanType QuickScan

Exclusions for Development

Common directories to exclude from antivirus:

• WSL filesystem: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\CanonicalGroupLimited.Ubuntu*
• Development folders: C:\dev\, C:\projects\
• Node modules: *\node_modules\*
• Build outputs: *\target\*, *\build\*

Emergency Recovery

Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

Access WinRE:

1. Boot from Windows installation media
2. Choose "Repair your computer"
3. Troubleshoot → Advanced options

Recovery Options:

• System Restore: Revert to previous state
• System Image Recovery: Restore from backup
• Startup Repair: Fix boot problems
• Command Prompt: Manual troubleshooting

Creating Recovery Media

# Create recovery drive
# Settings → Update & Security → Recovery → Create a recovery drive

Data Recovery

Tool	Purpose	Linux Equivalent
File History	File backup/restore	rsnapshot
Previous Versions	Shadow copy restore	LVM snapshots
Recuva	Deleted file recovery	testdisk, photorec

Getting Help

Built-in Help Systems

Tool	Access	Purpose
Get-Help	PowerShell	Command help
Windows Help	F1 in applications	Application help
Troubleshooters	Settings → Update & Security	Automated fixes

Online Resources

• Microsoft Docs: Official documentation
• TechNet: Technical articles and forums
• Stack Overflow: Programming and technical questions
• Reddit r/Windows10: Community support

Remote Assistance

Windows + R → msra

Options:

• Invite someone to help you
• Help someone who has invited you

Professional Tools

Tool	Purpose	Cost
Process Monitor	File/registry monitoring	Free
Process Explorer	Advanced process info	Free
Autoruns	Startup program management	Free
BlueScreenView	BSOD analysis	Free
CrystalDiskInfo	Hard drive health	Free