Save time and keystrokes with the Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool

Avoid the hassle of hitting the command line to run Vista’s IPConfig command, with its expanded set of switches. This little GUI app makes the job a cinch.

When you’re troubleshooting TCP/IP connectivity problems, chances are good that you shell out to the command line and use the IPConfig command. While this is indeed a powerful tool, using it can be a painstaking operation that requires you to type the IPConfig command over and over again with a different switch for each operation.

To alleviate some of that tedious labor, I created the Windows XP IP Configuration Tool several years ago. Now, I’ve built a version just for Vista — whose IPConfig command offers five more switches than XP includes.

The Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool presents each of the IPConfig command-line tool’s switches in one dialog box (Figure A). All you need to do is select the option corresponding to the switch you want to use and click the OK button. In addition to making it easy to use the 13 switches, the Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool allows you to run the IPConfig command without any switches at all. This will display just the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway for all adapters.

Figure A

The Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool dialog box

Installation

Once you download the Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool package, simply copy its three files to a folder of your choice:

• Vista-IPConfig.hta
• Wvipc.ico
• Vista IPConfig Tool-ReadMe.doc

Of course, the Vista-IPConfig.hta file is the HTA file that you’ll use to launch the application. The Wvipc.ico file simply contains the icon that the HTA uses for the control menu and the taskbar. The Vista IPConfig Tool-ReadMe.doc runs through the basic usage info, covered here.

Using the Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool

The Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool is an HTML Application (HTA) that combines HTML, Windows Script Host, and VBScript to create nice little GUI application. However, because Windows Vista employs the User Account Control system, running the script-based Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool requires that you download and install the Elevate HTML Application PowerToy, which is a part of the Elevation PowerToys for Windows Vista.

You can learn more about the Script Elevation PowerToys for Windows and the Elevate HTML Application PowerToy by reading the article “Elevate Privileges Automatically with Elevation PowerToys.”

With the Elevate HTML Application PowerToy installed, you can launch the Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool by right-clicking on the HTA file and selecting the Run As Administrator command.

The Windows Vista IP Configuration Tool dialog box has a single panel containing a set of option buttons and text boxes that allow you to configure your IPConfig command line. When you click OK, you’ll see the IPConfig command line and be prompted to launch it. When you do, a Command Prompt window will open and display the results.

Click the Help button and you’ll see Command Prompt window, which will display the IPConfig command’s help screen.