How to Ping a Printer on a Laptop

If you cannot use a peripheral like a printer, or your laptop cannot see the network, try the ping command. The ping cycle times out if there is a connectivity issue. To ping a printer or laptop, you must know the IP address of the device.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Go to the command prompt using the laptop in question to get the IP address if you do not already know it. Click "Start" and select "Run" from the menu; the run box will open. In the available space, type "cmd" and click "OK." This brings you to a DOS C:\ prompt.

2. Key "ipconfig" and hit the Enter button on your keyboard.

3. Write down the returned results of the numbers next to the IP address. The IP address is broken down into four parts; each part is separated by a period and looks something like this: 99.99.99.99.

4. Look for the C:\ prompt and type "ipconfig" followed by a space and your IP address. Hit the Enter button on your keyboard. It should look like this "ipconfig 99.99.99.99".

5. View the results of your ping. The packets sent and received should be the same. If the results show "Request Timed Out," then the network is not seeing your laptop, or your computer is not seeing the printer.

6. Reboot or restart your computer before doing anything else. If your printer is in question, retry printing a page. If you were unable to see network drives from your laptop, open "My Computer" or browse "Network Neighborhood" to confirm the connection.

Tips & Warnings

• Whenever using DOS, you will always enter your command after the C:\ prompt.