tracert - track where data goes online

The tracert command for Windows can trace the route that data takes from your network to a domain specified in the command. So if you go to command prompt and enter "tracert" followed by a web address results will be generated showing how many servers or routers data passes through to get its destination. Each 'hop' from one hardware device to another is numbered on the first column on the left.

. . . the next three columns show the time in milliseconds that the data takes to move between each router or server. The connection between every two points is tested three times. When the times in each test are about the same, the connection should be stable.

If there are three asterisks listed between two points at the end of the tracert report this would be an indication that the connection is down. But if the tracert test does not error out at the end, asterisks listed for one or more hops may simply mean that the routers or servers being used are set up not to provide the necessary data. Only 1 or 2 asterisks on a row are a bad sign - the connection is spotty.