How to - Ping or do a Trace Route - Windows 8

Windows 8: How to Ping or Trace Route Like a Pro

When your Windows 8 connection feels sluggish or a specific website won't load, you need to know exactly where the breakdown is happening. Is it your computer, your router, or a server halfway across the world? Tech support pros use two essential tools—Ping and Traceroute—to find the answer.

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt

In Windows 8, the fastest way to the command line is:

1. Press Windows Key + X on your keyboard.

2. Select Command Prompt (or Command Prompt Admin) from the list.

Step 2: Running a Ping Test

A "Ping" is like a digital sonar. It sends a tiny packet of data to a destination and measures how long it takes to bounce back.

• The Command: Type ping google.com and press Enter.

• What to look for: You want to see "0% loss" and low "ms" (milliseconds). If you see "Request Timed Out," the connection is broken.

Step 3: Running a Trace Route (tracert)

If Ping shows a problem, Traceroute shows you where it is. It lists every "hop" (router) your data passes through to reach its destination.

• The Command: Type tracert google.com and press Enter.

• What to look for: Each line represents a server. If the list stops at a certain number or shows high spikes in milliseconds at a specific hop, you’ve found the bottleneck.