If you don't get a reply immediately, don't give up. Try 'ping -t www.hotmail.com' instead. This will ping the site continuously. Use [Ctrl]+[C] to stop the pinging when you've had enough.
Another handy use of ping is to check your setup. If you can't connect to your ISP, try 'ping 127.0.0.1'. That is know as the loopback address, because it refers to your own machine. If it fails (and you don't need to be online to try this), Dial-Up Networking isn't set up correctly. Experts might like to try reinstalling TCP/IP, while everyone else should just remove and reinstall Dial-Up Networking completely.
Trace
Internet Delays
When you enter
a Web Address into your browser, the HTML code and graphic that makes up
the page pass through lots other Internet servers, often 20 or more, before
they get to you.
Tracert (short for TraceRoute) puts Internet delays into perspective by showing you how many servers it takes to reach any site you specify. It's a variation on window, type 'tracert www.sitename.com', and press [Enter]. If all goes well, you'll get a list of every Internet server between you and the site you specify. The more sites listed, the slower the connection is likely to be.
IP Addresses
and Dead Connection
While we use
memorable domain names for Web sites, such as 'hotmail.com', the Internet
uses numeric IP addresses to identify servers. Special computers called
DNS (Domain Name System) servers translate between two.
It isn't only Web sites that have IP addresses; when you connect to the Internet, your ISP allocates one to you, too (a different one each time, in most cases).
When you're just browsing, none of this matters. Some Internet application (Internet telephones, chat programs, some on-line games) use ip addresses to connect your PC, though. If you need to give your address to someone, just run the program winipcfg.exe while you're online. (Remember, you'll have a different address the next time you log on, so you'll need to do this again.)
The IP Configuration (WinIPcfg) utility is also handy for diagnosing a dead Internet connection. Try running it if it looks as though you're connected to your ISP, but none of your Internet Programs work. An IP address of 0.0.0.0 or a blank 'Default Gateway' box mean you aren't connected correctly. Either it's an ISP problem or your Dial-Up Networking setup is faulty. Unpleasant
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