I was digging through Microsoft’s website for some service pack downloads and I came across a free tool.
It is called Port Reporter. It is a very simple service based application that logs all TCPIP network activity to a text file.
I gave it a spin, and I am amazed how much information it spits out. For example, I ran it on my own computer while firefox was up…it showed me what ports it had open, the user account making the connection (me). Take a look:
The installation is simple. Download the software from here:
Microsoft Port Reporter Download
Extract the files to a temp location, and run pr-setup.exe. After that it will install the port reporter service.
To start reporting, just start it up from the command line by typing this:
net start PortReporter
You can leave it running as long as you want to collect data. Just keep in mind it may slow things down slightly while it is active.
If you want to stop it, just use this at the command line:
net stop PortReporter
Once you think you have the data you need, simply browse to
C:\windows\System32\LogFiles\PortReporter
There you can see the generated reports and start digging to find what you are looking for:
Now if you have a computer that seems to have lots of network activity – and you don’t know why….Port Reporter can set you in the right direction.
