How to Ping a Computer on a Network
From either a PC or Mac computer, you can use the network command known as "ping" to send small packets of data to another system on your local area network. If the data is received by the computer you are pinging, you will be notified. In order to ping another computer, you must know its exact IP address or host name.
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Instructions
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PC Instructions
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1
Open the "Start" menu by clicking on the icon in the lower-left corner of the screen.
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2
Click on the "Run" icon in the Start menu and type "cmd" (without the quotes) into the dialog box. Hit the "Enter" key. A command prompt window will now open.
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3
Type "ping 10.x.x.x" into the command prompt window, replacing "10.x.x.x" with the IP address or host name of the computer you want to ping.
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4
Hit the "Enter" key to send the ping request. The results of the ping request will be displayed on the screen.
Mac Instructions
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5
Open a new Finder window by clicking on the icon in the Dock.
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Navigate to the "Utilities" folder in the "Applications" section of your Mac hard drive.
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Double-click on the "Network Utility" icon.
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Go to the "Ping" tab at the top of the window.
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Type in the IP address or host name of the computer you want to ping in the top field.
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10
Click on the "Ping" button to send the ping request. The results of the ping request will be displayed on the screen.
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