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6 diagnostic tools you need on your Windows 11 PC
Perhaps you constantly find yourself battling with PC issues, or just want some tools in your kit in case you encounter problems in the future. Either way, it's always good practice to have a few PC diagnostic tools on hand to fix issues as they appear. This way, if you ever run into an issue that you don't know how to fix, then you can download and install one of these tools to help you identify what the problem is and hopefully find a solution.
What type of diagnostic tools do you need?
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of tools you can use to find and fix issues with your PC hardware or software. Each different piece of hardware on your PC has a slew of dedicated tools designed to keep it running optimally without problems.
For this list, we will focus on tools used to identify problems with hardware and software on your PC, or tools that do simple health checks/performance scans. We have left any kind of overclocking software off this list, but if you'd like to learn more about those kinds of tools, then head over to our dedicated guide on overclocking your CPU or how to make your GPU perform better.
Tools to diagnose network issues
Wi-Fi Analyzer & SoftPerfect Network Scanner
No one likes having problems connecting to the internet, especially in today's day and age where we need the internet for almost everything. Fortunately, if you're having trouble connecting to the internet, or just have a terrible connection in general, then you can use one of these tools to diagnose or fix your issue. If you're experiencing network issues, there are two easy-to-use tools that you could make use of.
Wi-Fi Analyzer is a tool that you can download from the Microsoft store that scans your network and tells you whether you are getting a lot of interference from other nearby routers. The tool will then optimize your router settings and place you on a channel that isn't being used as commonly in your area. It's a simple tool, but it can help you get a better Wi-Fi signal from your router.
If you are worried about your neighbors or random people stealing your Wi-Fi, then SoftPerfect Network Scanner is the tool you need. This tool lets you easily detect devices that are connected to your network, find out the specific IP address of devices, and remotely remove devices from your network access. The free version of the software can list up to ten devices that are connected to your network, and it supports both IPv4 and IPv6.
Tools to diagnose screen issues
Screen calibration & PixelHealer
Having display issues on your PC is never fun. But while it may seem like the only option available is to replace the screen or buy a new monitor, there are a few tools you can use to attempt to fix the issue. If you see flickering or screen tearing on your TV or monitor, then you can use the display's built-in calibration and testing tool (often found in the display settings menu) to see if there is a fault within the display. If this doesn't do anything to help, then you can also try updating your display drivers on your PC.
While there isn't a tool that can fix a physically broken screen, if you just have a few stuck or dead pixels on your monitor, then you should give PixelHealer a try. PixelHealer is a tool that will use bright flashing lights on your screen to try and bring dead or stuck pixels back to life. While this tool isn't guaranteed to bring your monitor back to life, it does have a moderately high success rate (roughly 60%) fixing pixel issues on monitors and TVs.
Epilepsy Warning: This tool may potentially trigger seizures for users with photosensitive epilepsy. User discretion is advised.
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Tools to diagnose storage drive issues
CrystalDiskInfo & dedicated manufacturer tools
Has one of your storage devices stopped working, started making a loud noise, or begun transferring data slowly? Regardless of whether you are using an old HDD or a new SSD, there are tools out there that can give you more information about what might be wrong with your storage device.
The first basic tool you should use on any drive you are testing is CrystalDiskInfo. This free tool will perform a SMART scan on your drive and tell you the HDD or SSD health as a percentage value. This tool is basic, but will detect bad sectors on the drive and give you a rough performance evaluation of your drive.
If you'd like a more detailed report or more advanced options, then it is recommended to download your storage drive's dedicated diagnostic tool, usually found on the manufacturer's website. These tools were built for your specific drive and will give you a lot more options to play around with. Seagate drives use SeaTools, Western Digital uses WD Dashboard or WD Drive utilities, and Samsung has the Samsung Magician tool.
Many of the tools above can be used on other drives as well, but not all of them.
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Tools to diagnose RAM issues
HCI MemTest & MemTest 86
RAM issues fall into two categories. They can be PC-breaking. Or they can fly under the radar for a long time before you notice. If one of your RAM sticks becomes faulty, your PC will still boot up normally. The only time you will know that there is a problem is if both RAM sticks stop working, as then your PC will crash or fail to boot.
If your PC boots up, but you are worried about your RAM failing soon or would just like to check the health of your RAM, then you should use HCI MemTest. This tool will let you run an advanced memory test that can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to finish and will give you a detailed report on your memory. The free version is a bit clunkier to use than the premium version, but it works all the same.
If you can't boot into your OS and you think that your RAM is the issue, but you don't have spare RAM to test your theory, then you can use MemTest86. This is a slightly older diagnostic tool, but it can be put on a USB drive and used to boot up the PC and perform a memory test on your RAM.
Tools to diagnose system issues
HWiNFO & Process Hacker
These programs will hit the spot for you, if the default Task Manager just isn't cutting it, and you want to see more advanced information about your system and resources.
HWiNFO is the go-to tool for a comprehensive system summary. This tool displays all major hardware information for your PC including hardware temperature and voltage amounts in real-time. You can use this tool to see if any hardware components are using too much power or generating too much heat.
The next tool that can help you diagnose system issues on Windows 11 is the Task Manager alternative, Process Hacker. This tool will completely overhaul your basic Windows Task Manager experience and provide you with a more in-depth report on resource utilization on your PC.
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Tools to diagnose CPU and GPU issues
CPU-Z & GPU-Z
If you are worried that your CPU or GPU is about to give way, or if you just want to see how your new components are performing on a new gaming rig, then you can't go wrong with the tools CPU-Z and GPU-Z. Both of these tools are developed by the same company and do the same thing for their respective component.
CPU-Z is a really handy tool that will give you detailed information on your CPU model, architecture, clock speeds, core voltage, and much more. This tool will tell you anything you need to know about your specific CPU and will also allow you to compare it to other CPU models, in case you are thinking of upgrading in the future. The tool also comes with a CPU benchmarking feature, but the results are disputed in the PC community. You're probably better off using Cinebench for that.
GPU-Z does the same as CPU-Z, only for your graphics card, providing detailed information about your GPU's hardware specifications. The tool will help you identify the card sub-vendor, BIOS version, which memory type it uses, your memory size, the default/current GPU clock speed, and more.
Naturally, both of these programs are great for monitoring your CPU or GPU stats while you overclock your hardware. But they also act as an effective deterrent to future issues. By providing detailed reports of real-time performance for the two most important pieces of hardware on your PC, it could help you diagnose and fix issues before they become a bigger problem on your PC.
How to use GPU-Z
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Get ahead of major issues or get to the bottom of them
All of these programs can help you address concerns about your PC's performance, or reassure you of its health and status. If your computer isn't having any issues at the moment, perhaps you'll want to bookmark this page for future reference. In any case, we hope that these programs will help you and your computer enjoy many more successful years together.
