A computer network is bound to have network connectivity related issues, which is why every network user should be familiar with at least a basic level of network troubleshooting. Sometimes the issue can be resolved by simply tweaking a wire or typing a command, saving you hundreds on calling in an IT expert each time something goes wrong. The following simple guidelines take you through a step-by-step tutorial on how to diagnose and solve common networking problems:

• The first thing to do should be to make sure the physical condition of the network, i.e. the network cable is intact.

• Next, execute a command prompt with IPCONFIG /all. Make sure that the IP address, default gateway, and subnet mask are correct. If there is any error at this stage, modifying it should bring the network back online.

• If that doesn’t work, the next step should be to use the PING command to ping the servers by IP address. This is one of the simplest commands to diagnose networking problems and is present in almost all operating systems. DNS issues should be ruled out by pinging the server’s name.

• If these commands do not work, the issue usually lies in the internal DNS. Pinging a website like www.yahoo.com tests external DNS resolution.

• If the DNS resolution is fine, you need to run NetStat ‘’’’a to rule out a Trojan or virus having infested the machine.

• If no viruses are detected, a pathping or tracert run between the machine and the internet can help to identify any pending network problems. For instance, you might notice another computer using the same IP address and host name as your network. The solution for this is using Angry Ipscanner.exe to identify the host name or query the IP address. If you are working on a Linux or MacOS machine, you can use a similar tool known as traceroute.

• If none of these techniques diagnose a network issue, this usually indicates that there is no problem in the machine, but the issue lies in the network itself. For this, try firing up Wireshark to listen to all the traffic and responses for your network. If you are not familiar with how to decode the data at this stage, you can make use of one of the many useful online resources available to get help with that.

Centex Technologies is a leading IT support and networking company providing complete computer network installation and repair services. We serve Dallas, Killeen and other surrounding areas in Central Texas. For more information, call us at - (972) 375-9654