General Network Troubleshooting Tools (Ping, Traceroute)

Ping


Ping is a utility that forwards data packets to check the quality of a link or verify the connection of a machine to the Internet.

How to run a ping if your computer is Windows7:
  1. Click on the "Start Orb" and then type "Command Prompt" in the "Start Search" field.
  2. From the search results, click on the "Command Prompt" icon that's listed under "Programs."
  3. After the "Command Prompt" window is open, type: ping -n 500 [hostname] > ping.txt
    • (without the brackets)
    • Example: Example: ping -n 500 HostingAccountDomain.com > ping.txt
  4. Depending on the network speed, this command will run for several minutes. Once the diagnostic is complete, the results will be saved in a filed named ping.txt.
  5. If our Technical Support staff asked you to run a ping, please send them the text file for review.
How to run a ping if your computer is Windows 2000 or Windows XP:
  1. From the Start Menu, select: RUN
  2. Type: cmd
  3. In the popup window, type: ping -n 500 [hostname] > ping.txt
    • (without the brackets)
    • Example: ping -n 500 HostingAccountDomain.com > ping.txt
  4. Depending on the network speed, this command will run for several minutes. Once the diagnostic is complete, the result will be saved in a filed named ping.txt.
  5. If our Technical Support staff asked you to run a ping, please send them the text file for review.
 

PathPing


PathPing is a utility that combines the functionality both of the PING and Traceroute command to verify the connection of a machine to the Internet.

How to run a pathping if your computer is Windows Vista or Windows7:
  1. Click on the "Start Orb" and then type "Command Prompt" in the "Start Search" field.
  2. From the search results, click on the "Command Prompt" icon that's listed under "Programs."
  3. After the "Command Prompt" window is open, type: pathping [hostname] > pathping.txt
    • (without the brackets)
    • Example: Example: pathping HostingAccountDomain.com > pathping.txt
  4. Depending on the network speed, this command will run for several minutes. Once the diagnostic is complete, the results will be saved in a filed named pathping.txt.
  5. If our Technical Support staff asked you to run a pathping, please send them the text file for review.
How to run a pathping if your computer is Windows 2000 or Windows XP:
  1. From the Start Menu, select: RUN
  2. Type: cmd
  3. In the popup window, type: pathping [hostname] > pathping.txt
    • (without the brackets)
    • Example: ping HostingAccountDomain.com > pathping.txt
  4. Depending on the network speed, this command will run for several minutes. Once the diagnostic is complete, the result will be saved in a filed named pathping.txt.
  5. If our Technical Support staff asked you to run a pathping, please send them the text file for review.
 

Traceroute


A traceroute is a TCP/IP utility which allows the user to determine the route packets are taking to a particular host. A traceroute is useful in determining whether there is a network problem between your computer and our servers.

How to run a traceroute if your computer is Windows Vista or Windows 7:
  1. Click on the "Start Orb" and then type "Command Prompt" in the "Start Search" field.
  2. From the search results, click on the "Command Prompt" icon that's listed under "Programs."
  3. After the "Command Prompt" window is open, type: tracert [hostname]
    • (without the brackets)
    • Example: tracert HostingAccountDomain.com
  4. If the Technical Support staff asked you to run a traceroute, please capture the results and send them to us for review. If you are not familiar with how to capture information from the command prompt, please see below.
How to run a traceroute if your computer is Windows 2000 or Windows XP:
  1. From the Start Menu, select: RUN
  2. Type: cmd
  3. In the popup window, type: tracert [hostname]
    • (without the brackets)
    • Example: tracert HostingAccountDomain.com
  4. If the Technical Support staff asked you to run a traceroute, please capture the results and send them to us for review. If you are not familiar with how to capture information from the command prompt, please see below.
 

How to capture results from the Command Prompt


To capture the results from the Command Prompt Screen
  1. Right click in the Command Prompt Screen
  2. Select: Select All
  3. Press Enter Key (This will copy the text)
  4. Open Notepad
  5. Right click in Notepad screen
  6. Select: Paste