One of the common problems of Internet users is testing them
internet connection to pinpoint the problem. There are a large number of Internet users who use DSL and cable modem services.
You set up your connection for us as instructed by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Sometimes it doesn’t work for a number of reasons.
The service is not ready, the hardware is not connected properly, or there are problems with your ISP.
Regardless of the cause of the problem, there are several diagnostic tools that you can use in Windows XP to identify the problem.
If you’re not thorough with your diagnosis, at least you’ll get a good idea.
Before we get into the diagnostic tools, let’s discuss what an internet connection entails.
Information is sent over the Internet to your computer via an ISP service. This is done via a high-speed modem and then to the network adapter installed in your computer.
Your computer is called the host, your ISP will tell you
you will get the DNS IP address and you will get your login and password. That’s all you get from your ISP.
Sometimes the internet connection doesn’t work and you want to find
resolve. Perhaps you can fix it, or at least get some
issue information to advise your ISP for help.
You’ll start by accessing the command prompt by going to:
Start menu, program, accessories, then command prompt. Window
it will open where you type the commands from the prompt.
At the command prompt, enter IPCONFIG. This command will ensure an active network connection on your computer. Here is an example:
A copy of the PPP adapter:
Connection-specific DNS suffix. :
IP address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 68.239.158.45
Subnet mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
Deafult Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 68.239.158.45
The above output was generated when I ran the Ipconfig command on my own computer with Windows XP operating system and DSL connection. The IP address is the address of my computer assigned by the Internet Service Provider.
Note that you can add an option to this command to get more detailed information about your connection. Here is the result when I ran the same z command
option “all”.
Ipconfig / ALL
A copy of the PPP adapter:
Connection-specific DNS suffix. :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN interface (PPP / SLIP)
Physical address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00
Dhcp included. . . . . . . . . . . : Not
IP address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 68.239.158.45
Subnet mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
Deafult Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 68.239.158.45
DNS servers. . . . . . . . . . . : 151.198.0.39
151.197.0.39
NetBIOS over TCP / IP. . . . . . . . : Off
Note that the result contains the physical address of the network adapter installed in my computer. You’ll also see DNS IP addresses. I had no problems with the above information.
I suppose I disconnect my DSL connection and rerun the command, here’s the new result:
Ethernet card local connection:
Connection-specific DNS suffix. :
IP address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
Subnet mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Deafult Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
Note that in this case when I disconnected the connection you are not getting the DNS server. This means that I am not connected to the Internet.
Also note that the IP address starts with 192.168 which is the default address when the computer is not connected to the internet.
Another command is the ping command. It will allow you to check whether the computer is connected to the network and ready for communication, or the intranet,
or internet.
When launched, it will send the package to the specified computer and give you the time needed for the package to travel. This is the way out when I tried to ping [
C:>ping [
Pinging www.yahoo.akadns.net [216.109.118.66] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 216.109.118.66: bytes = 32 time = 35ms TTL = 55
Reply from 216.109.118.66: bytes = 32 time = 39ms TTL = 55
Ping statistics for 216.109.118.66:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milliseconds:
Minimum = 35 ms, maximum = 39 ms, average = 38 ms.
This shows that the host was reachable and connected to the internet.
A very important command is Nslookup. This will allow you to check that the DNS (domain name server) is working properly. The function of a DNS server is to translate IP addresses into a domain name of a computer on the network. Here is an example:
C:> nslookup[[[[
Server: home5.bellatlantic.net
Address: 151.198.0.39
Unreliable answer:
Name:[[[[
Addresses: 216.109.118.67
Abbreviations:[[[[
So you type the name after Nslookup, it will give you IP addresses and vice versa.
Overall, there are more commands in Windows XP, but using the three commands above should give you a good idea of your internet connection problems. You can find out where the problem occurs. Whether it’s your machine or your ISP.
Thank you,
George Chamoun
