Frequently asked questions

X-NetStat runs smoothly on most Windows operating systems: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10, including 64-bit versions. It also runs on Windows Server 2003, 2008, and 2012.

X-NetStat used to run on Windows 95 (Winsock upgrade required), 98, ME, and 2000, but this hasn't been tested in a while. To run on these legacy operating systems, try downloading an earlier version.

No, it isn't needed, but it may be useful if you are having problems. When you uninstall, your personal settings are erased and you go back to the default settings.

Go to Start Menu > Programs > X-NetStat Professional, right-click the program file and choose Properties. There is a field to clear the hotkey or set a new one.

X-NetStat Lite is free and shows what the console netstat.exe does, in a graphical interface. X-NetStat 6 is the full product, with everything Lite has and much, much more. See the X-NetStat page for details.

The fee is one time, not a subscription, and includes free updates through version 6.99. Card payments are processed by Stripe. For larger orders, checks and money orders are welcome and can be sent to:

Fresh Software LLC
519 Erin St.
Eau Claire, WI 54703

Please don't forget to include your email address for a license key!

No. Everything is delivered by email: you get a receipt and your license key right after ordering. If the key hasn't arrived within 45 minutes, check your spam folder, then contact us.

First make sure the key is for the product and version you are running: a key from an older X-NetStat 5.x order won't unlock X-NetStat 6. Second, each license key is case sensitive, so it is best to copy and paste it right into the program. Still stuck? Contact us and we'll sort it out.

Yes. Registered users of older versions get a discounted upgrade. Just send us an email with your old order number (or the email address you ordered with) and we will send you a discounted order link.

When the Sniffer is enabled, you can see the bytes in/out for each connection, and bandwidth usage.

First, make sure you press down the Sniffer button on the toolbar. Nothing can be sniffed without this button pressed!

If you still don't see anything, try the Npcap packet sniffer, which supports more network adapters. Download and run the installer from npcap.com (or use X-NetStat's Updater to download and install it). A restart of your computer may be required. Then go to Options > Packet Sniffer and change the Default Sniffer to Npcap. Restart X-NetStat.

If you still don't see anything, make sure you have installed the latest drivers for your network adapter, and then try either the X-NetStat internal sniffer or Npcap again. Open the Sidebar and change the tab to Sniffer session, where it shows the IP address it is trying to sniff. An error message may also appear in the Event Log.

If you still don't see anything, please report the bug to Fresh Software. Open the Sidebar, change the tab to Sniffer session, and copy/paste the details to us, along with the name and model of your network adapter, whether it is wireless or wired, and which versions of Windows and X-NetStat you are using.

First, download and install Wireshark. You may also need to specify a default adapter to capture packets. Open Wireshark and click Edit > Preferences > Capture.

Click the down arrow next to “default interface” and choose the same adapter/interface that X-NetStat is monitoring. Click Save, and then OK.

X-NetStat displays the application EXE (“process”) behind each connection. It shows up in the Process column of the connection table, and in the Process Information panel.

X-NetStat 6.0's first release does not support UDP information, but this will be added soon. X-NetStat 5.63 does show UDP information.

It isn't technically a connection, but one waiting to be born. SYN_SENT means that a program on your PC has requested TCP communication with another computer, but has not yet received an acknowledgment (SYN_ACK). It can be indicative (but not always) of a network problem somewhere between you and the remote computer.

Try clearing the DNS cache. You can do this on the first page of Options.

Yes. X-NetStat Professional shows the number of ICMP packets going in/out right on the status bar. Just double-click the status bar and check the ICMP stats.

For example, a server in a cluster with one NIC for public access and one for the cluster heartbeat. Yes, do this:

1. Open Control Panel
2. Open Network Connections
3. From the Advanced menu, choose Advanced Settings
4. Under Connections, move the NIC you want X-NetStat to monitor to the bottom using the down arrow button.

You can forcibly disconnect (“kill”) undesired connections with the Kill button, or use Extended Kill for additional behavior (right-click the connection and choose Extended Kill). This includes:

• Kill and add Rule to AutoKill: kill the connection now, and make a rule to kill it in the future, based on criteria you set.
• Kill, AutoKill, plus Banish: same as above, but also add an entry to the Windows hosts file to prevent outgoing connections to the remote host.
• Block with Windows Firewall: adds the IP address of the selected connection to a Windows Firewall rule, completely preventing communication with it.

No. X-NetStat 3.0 and 4.0 used SNMP to get their information, but this is no longer the case.

Yes. Set up a Rule, click the Actions tab and check “Send Email Notification”. See the user's manual for more on setting up rules. Note: email does not yet work.

Yes! Right-click the connection and choose Extended Kill > Kill and Add Rule to AutoKill.

Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices. Browse down to System Notification and select (none) in the drop-down. Note this turns off sounds for all balloon notifications from the system tray.

From time to time Fresh Software holds beta tests for upcoming releases of X-NetStat. These beta tests are made up of a variety of awesome users who actively participate in the design of new versions. We love to get as much input as possible, so if you want to hunt bugs, bounce ideas around and have some fun, get involved! Currently there are no betas open; ask on Discord or check the blog from time to time.

This is X-NetStat checking for updates on startup. Fresh Software was hosted by machfront.com.