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Trouble with Web connections, modem, ISP or website to blame
Problems of this type can be tricky to solve, but a handy utility included with Windows 95 and Windows 98 may help. It's Ping, a small DOS utility that network administrators and techies who enjoy tinkering with their networks frequently use.
Ping sends a signal from your PC to another computer on the Internet and then waits for it to return a signal--much like a sonar ping--to acknowledge a successful connection. If the target device doesn't respond, there's a hardware problem, but if it does respond, you can be certain that all of the equipment between you and the target computer is working.
To run Ping, open a DOS window. In Windows 9 x, click Start, Programs, MS-DOS Prompt. In Windows Me, click Start, Programs, Accessories, MS-DOS Prompt. At the C> prompt, type ping followed by a space, and then type the URL or IP address of the computer that you're trying to contact. For example, to check your connection to the ESPN Web site, you would type ping www.espn.com.
A successful ping returns three or four lines starting with the words Reply from. An unsuccessful ping returns a single line stating only that the target computer was not found.
Ping is primarily a tool for the network savvy, but three ping tests are useful for everyone. First, you can test your own PC's configuration by pinging the IP loopback address: Type ping 127.0.0.1 and press Enter. If you don't get a reply, there's a problem with your TCP/IP settings.
Next, ping your PC's default gateway. To find your default gateway address, click Start, Run, type winipcfg, and press Enter. The default gateway is the first computer your PC connects to when trying to reach the Internet. It may be located at your ISP or within your company's network. If you can ping the default gateway, the problem resides outside your local network.
Finally, ping the Web site's server. If you get no response, the problem is outside both your PC and your local network.
Taken from PC World (April 2001)