Sometimes it can be a huge pain when needing to transfer files between machines because things don't always go smoothly.

I'm sure you've come across computers that feel like they have an extra slow Internet connection, and so you start digging through a crazy amount of settings trying to figure out what could be the culprit. In the end you're left wondering whether your machine is actually the problem, or whether it has something to do with your ISP.

Not everyone has the money to spend on a professional diagram editor like Visio, but there are some free solutions available as well. Many of the free options are available online as web-based editors, but if you need a desktop app something like the Dia Diagram Editor may be what you want.

If you'r worried that something may be going on behind-the-scenes on your computer TCPEye is an app that may put your mind at ease. It monitors all TCP and UDP ports on your computer for activity, and displays the information in a list like the one pictured above. Here is a quick rundown on what the app will tell you about each TCP or UDP connection on your machine:

Windows includes several different command line tools that are useful for viewing network-related details on your computer such as ipconfig, route, and netstat. The ipconfig command provides TCP/IP configuration information, route lets you modify your system's IP routing table, and netstat displays active connections and ports.

I've been spending some time optimizing my Windows 7 Media Center installation, and in doing so I've found some good information that has helped me pinpoint why I don't always see perfectly smooth video when streaming to my Xbox 360.

I use Speedtest.net quite a bit to help determine how well my Internet service is performing. Something I didn't realize until recently was that they actually have a "mini" version of the online service available for those of you who want to host some basic tests on your own servers for free.

I love coming across useful network-related tools, and SoftPerfect Network Scanner is pretty cool for both system administrators and geeky home users. With it you can scan an entire range of IP addresses and retrieve things like their host name, MAC address, response times, and much more.