How2NotFail

Here’s a little gem that will save you time and effort when you’re trying to trouble shoot your computer’s internet connection. Windows comes standard with a fun little utility called ping, that can very quickly help you determine if your computer has an internet connection. Using your web browser or instant messenger to try and connect can sometimes give you a false positive, or misrepresent the problem you’re experiencing.

What is “Ping”?

Think back to those old war movies with submarines in them. At some point the submarine would have to dive, and a deadly game of battleships would begin with the enemy. There would be a brief shot of a radar with a spinning line on it, and a blip (or a ping). In computer terms, a ping is the response you get from another network device when you throw something at it. In this case it would be little packets of data, instead of sound.

A lot about a Ping is measurable, including how much data was sent, how long it took to get back, and where exactly you sent it (ie. what IP Address).

How Do I Use It?

To use the Ping utility follow these instructions:

1. Start->Run
2. Type in the letters: cmd
3. Hit OK

A black window should now appear (also known as Command Prompt)

4. Type the command ping followed by the host you wish to ping. For example: ping google.com
5. Hit Enter

If the command was executed successfully, you will receive several replies from that host. If it was unsuccessful, you may receive a “Ping request could not find ..” and so forth. Receiving a reply (unless under unique circumstances) usually means you’re good to go. When in doubt, try pinging a few hosts that you know will work. For example: microsoft.com, aol.com, bmw.com, or whitehouse.gov

6. When you’re done, type exit and hit Enter.

Putting it All Together

Feel free to explore the subject further. Ping will not only help you identify whether you’re online, but can also help you determine if a host or another computer on your network are available too. You can ping anything from a host name to an IP address.