In today’s environment there never seems to be time to do anything. So when things need to get done we need to take our valuable time and put it to good use. Don’t you hate it when you have something important to get done at work or home, or you finally get some time to relax in front of the computer and you can’t get on the internet or you get “that screen” on your Explorer window that say’s “cannot connect” click the “diagnose problem” button to troubleshoot. This problem seems to happen to me all the time especially when it rains. I know it’s a line problem either internally or external to my home, but I haven’t had the time to troubleshoot it further. There is a simple test that allows me to reset my internet connection without too much trouble and it’s exactly the first test the “diagnose problem” button does which is transparent to the user.

How to Find the Command Prompt and IP

All you need is an Internet Protocal (IP) address and the “ping” command.  Using the “ipconfig” command will help you find your computers IP address. If you are hooked up to a modem or router the IP address usually can be found on the unit, most likely on the bottom.  Depending on the operating system find the command prompt icon or type “cmd” in the “search,” “find,” or “run” option under the “start” windows option on the task bar. This will bring up the command prompt or Disk Operating System (DOS) prompt.

How to use the Ping Command

After the command prompt type “ping” followed by a space and the IP address that you are testing. The result will be either a reply from the IP with a time or a reply that say’s timed out. This command will send 4 packets and tell you if they were received or lost. Sometimes just using the “ping” command will reset your line and you can start surfing the web again.  You may have to run this test more than once to get your connection to reset. If not, further troubleshooting will be needed. If a self line test doesn’t work for me I will call my Internet Service Provider (ISP) and have them do a line test from their end. They always come back and say nothing was found wrong and all of the sudden my internet connection works better than ever.

Do you have any ideas, products, or recommendations for finding and using the “ping” command? We would love to hear from you. Also, if you are experiencing problems with the “ping” command please feel free to ask questions and we will try to provide a solution for you.