Checking Uptime in Windows

While displaying uptime in Unix, Linux, and Mac is fairly easy with the uptime command at the console, its Windows counterpart is somewhat unique. To view the uptime for windows, you will need some wit by looking though its statistics as there was no command like the Unix, Linux, and Mac uptime which even shows you the cpu loads.

Time is almost out for Windows XP and i would probably stop posting XP related content in the future due its support about to be taken from Microsoft. But for the sake of completeness I’ll be adding the command on how to display your uptime in windows xp. FYI, Microsoft will no longer support Windows XP after April 8, 2014, if you are still using that old oval start button, i suggest you start exploring other stuff you may be able to migrate to.

Unlike Windows XP, Windows 7 specifically does not have its own uptime command so you will need to get it by either downloading an application or by scanning through its net statistics. To view your windows uptime enter the comands in the console Windows:

Console that is

START -> RUN (if there is no run as its disabled by default, try Win Key (Windows Logo) + r on keyboard

Windows 7

Enter the following commands into the console:

net statistics server

or

net statistics workstation

or

net stats srv

Well, that’s the uptime. Just subtract the date today from the Statistics since date on your screen. You will like it especially if you have some knack into some mindless calculations.

Windows XP

Enter the following command into the console:

systeminfo

Then browse to the list until you find the Up time field, alternatively you may insert the command Find “up time” to filter out the other info and display just the uptime values:

systeminfo | find "up time"

Linux, Unix, Mac

For the sake of completeness, i am going to include these commands here too. To view the uptime just type the command

uptime

For the older Windows versions

There is no command I know for the older Windows machines but you can download a program that estimates its uptime and its called uptime.exe, what else. You can try its alpha version, i wonder, why it’s still in alpha as they no longer support those versions.

Download windows uptime program here or use the URL: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/232243

The uptime that we are talking here is different from the uptime you usually see when subscribing for a hosting service. Its a measure of how they guarantee the server will be online uptime percent of the time in a year. So for example is a hosting provider might claim a 99.9% uptime, we could calculate the number of hours they maybe down in a year, usually spent for maintenance and hardware upgrades. as of the moment I don’t see any host with the guarantee of 100% uptime yet.

Let’s see, if they claim a 99.9% uptime that leaves

100% – 99.9% = .1% downtime throughout the year so
365 x .1% = .365 hours of downtime,
.365 x 24 = 8.76 hours, that’s roughly 8 hours and 45 minutes

If your host claims 99.9% downtime and they were down for a day, then you have the right to complain, and be irate to them. hehe

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Written by tildemark

Alfredo Sanchez, Jr is an internet technologist who spent so little time away from his computer. This little time is usually spent on teaching college students at a nearby university. He's been writing technology topics since 2005 and if combined might be able to make a book out of it.

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