Windows 8: Windows Update Failed

How to fix Windows update failed after 15% configuration on Windows 8 computers.

First press and hold the windows button (fig. 1) on your keyboard and press R.

fig. 1

Once you pull up the run command. Type msconfig. (fig. 2)

fig. 2

Then go to the services tab and check the "Hide all Microsoft services". (fig. 3)

fig. 3

After checking the "Hide all Microsoft services" box. Make sure everything is checked. Then click the "Disable all" button. Then click ok. You might receive the screen below. (fig. 4) Then try clicking restart.

fig. 4

If it doesn't go through. Check for updates again by going to control panel- system and security- windows update- check for updates- install. Then restart the computer. Once the update is done, you can go back to msconfig and enable all services again.

Windows 8 Shortcut Keys

Windows 8 has added a lot of shortcuts for easier navigation.  Some of the shortcuts are the same with other OS 

Windows key: Switch between Modern Desktop Start screen and the last accessed application

Windows key + C: Access the charms bar

Windows key + Tab: Access the Modern Desktop Taskbar

Windows key + I: Access the Settings charm

Windows key + H: Access the Share charm

Windows key + K: Access the Devices charm

Windows key + Q: Access the Apps Search screen

Windows key + F: Access the Files Search screen

Windows key + W: Access the Settings Search screen

Windows key + P: Access the Second Screen bar

Windows key + Z: Brings up the App Bar when you have a Modern Desktop App running

Windows key + X: Access the Windows Tools Menu

Windows key + O: Lock screen orientation

Windows key + . : Move the screen split to the right

Windows key + Shift + . : Move the screen split to the left

Windows key + V: View all active Toasts/Notifications

Windows key + Shift + V: View all active Toasts/Notifications in reverse order

Windows key + PrtScn: Takes a screenshot of the screen and automatically saves it in the Pictures folder as Screenshot

Windows key + Enter: Launch Narrator        

Windows key + E: Open Computer

Windows key + R: Open the Run dialog box

Windows key + U: Open Ease of Access Center

Windows key + Ctrl + F: Open Find Computers dialog box

Windows key + Pause/Break: Open the System page

Windows key + 1..10: Launch a program pinned on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number

Windows key + Shift + 1..10: Launch a new instance of a program pinned on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number

Windows key + Ctrl + 1..10: Access the last active instance of a program pinned on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number

Windows key + Alt + 1..10: Access the Jump List of a program pinned on the Taskbar in the position indicated by the number

Windows key + B: Select the first item in the Notification Area and then use the arrow keys to cycle through the items Press Enter to open the selected item

Windows key + Ctrl + B: Access the program that is displaying a message in the Notification Area

Windows key + T: Cycle through the items on the Taskbar

Windows key + M: Minimize all windows

Windows key + Shift + M: Restore all minimized windows

Windows key + D: Show/Hide Desktop (minimize/restore all windows)

Windows key + L: Lock computer

Windows key + Up Arrow: Maximize current window

Windows key + Down Arrow: Minimize/restore current window

Windows key + Home: Minimize all but the current window

Windows key + Left Arrow: Tile window on the left side of the screen

Windows key + Right Arrow: Tile window on the right side of the screen

Windows key + Shift + Up Arrow: Extend current window from the top to the bottom of the screen

Windows key + Shift + Left/Right Arrow: Move the current window from one monitor to the next

Windows key + F1: Launch Windows Help and Support

PageUp: Scroll forward on the Modern Desktop Start screen

PageDown: Scroll backward on the Modern Desktop Start screen

Esc: Close  a charm

Ctrl + Esc: Switch between Modern Desktop Start screen and the last accessed application

Ctrl + Mouse scroll wheel: Activate the Semantic Zoom on the Modern Desktop screen

Alt: Display a hidden Menu Bar

Alt + D: Select the Address Bar

Alt + P: Display the Preview Pane in Windows Explorer

Alt + Tab: Cycle forward through open windows

Alt + Shift + Tab: Cycle backward through open windows

Alt + F: Close the current window Open the Shut Down Windows dialog box from the Desktop

Alt + Spacebar: Access the Shortcut menu for current window

Alt + Esc: Cycle between open programs in the order that they were opened

Alt + Enter: Open the Properties dialog box of the selected item

Alt + PrtScn: Take a screen shot of the active Window and place it in the clipboard

Alt + Up Arrow: Move up one folder level in Windows Explorer (Like the Up Arrow in XP)

Alt + Left Arrow: Display the previous folder

Alt + Right Arrow: Display the next folder

Shift + Insert: CD/DVD Load CD/DVD without triggering Autoplay or Autorun

Shift + Delete: Permanently delete the item (rather than sending it to the Recycle Bin)

Shift + F6: Cycle backward through elements in a window or dialog box

Shift + F10: Access the context menu for the selected item

Shift + Tab: Cycle backward through elements in a window or dialog box

Shift + Click: Select a consecutive group of items

Shift + Click on a Taskbar button: Launch a new instance of a program

Shift + Right-click on a Taskbar button: Access the context menu for the selected item

Ctrl + A: Select all items

Ctrl + C: Copy the selected item

Ctrl + X: Cut the selected item

Ctrl + V: Paste the selected item

Ctrl + D: Delete selected item

Ctrl + Z: Undo an action

Ctrl + Y: Redo an action

Ctrl + N: Open a new window in Windows Explorer

Ctrl + W: Close current window in Windows Explorer

Ctrl + E: Select the Search box in the upper right corner of a window

Ctrl + Shift + N: Create new folder

Ctrl + Shift + Esc: Open the Windows Task Manager

Ctrl + Alt + Tab: Use arrow keys to cycle through open windows

Ctrl + Alt + Delete: Access the Windows Security screen 

Ctrl + Click: Select multiple individual items

Ctrl + Click and drag an item: Copies that item in the same folder

Ctrl + Shift + Click and drag an item: Creates a shortcut for that item in the same folder

Ctrl + Tab:  Move forward through tabs

Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Move backward through tabs

Ctrl + Shift + Click on a Taskbar button: Launch a new instance of a program as an Administrator

Ctrl + Click on a grouped Taskbar button: Cycle through the instances of a program in the group

F1: Display Help

F2: Rename a file

F3: Open Search

F4: Display the Address Bar list

F5: Refresh display

F6: Cycle forward through elements in a window or dialog box

F7: Display command history in a Command Prompt

F10: Display hidden Menu Bar

F11: Toggle full screen display

Tab: Cycle forward through elements in a window or dialog box

PrtScn: Take a screen shot of the entire screen and place it in the clipboard

Home: Move to the top of the active window

End: Move to the bottom of the active window

Delete: Delete the selected item

Backspace: Display the previous folder in Windows Explorer  Move up one folder level in Open or Save dialog box

Esc: Close a dialog box

Num Lock Enabled + Plus (+): Display the contents of the selected folder 

Num Lock Enabled + Minus (-): Collapse the selected folder

Num Lock Enabled + Asterisk (*): Expand all subfolders under the selected folder     

Press Shift 5 times Turn StickyKeys on or off

Hold down right Shift for 8 seconds Turn FilterKeys on or off

Hold down Num Lock for 5 seconds Turn ToggleKeys on or off

Laptop Batteries

If your laptop battery doesn't stay long, you can try detaching it from your laptop. (Hope you can take out your battery as there are some computers that has built in batteries. Lenovo Yoga series will not allow you do it.) Then place it in a resealable container or plastic. Make sure it's properly sealed and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Before connecting it back to your computer make sure it's dry.

To extend your battery life, if you are just home, you can always detach your laptop's battery and use the AC adapter instead.

What To Do If You Feel That Your Email Has Been HIjacked Or Hacked

These are the symptoms of a possible compromised email address include:

• Complaints about spam being sent from your email address (to persons within your address book or to strangers).
• You are not receiving any email.
• You appear to be missing email.
• You are receiving large numbers of undeliverable or bounce messages you did not send.
• You are not able to login to your email account.
• Unknown email appearing in Sent Items folder.

Generally these are the things that your ISP would ask you to do: 

1. Secure all of your computers against malicious keylogging software that can steal passwords and other personal information.

• Scan all computers with an up-to-date anti-virus program. The AT&T Internet Security Suite powered by McAfee is free to qualifying members and includes anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall protection.
• Use an up-to-date anti-spyware (anti-malware) application, as some malware is not detected by anti-virus scans.
• Ensure your operating system has been updated with all the recommended security updates from the operating system provider.

2. Change or reset your password to one not used previously. By changing your password immediately, you can minimize the resulting risk for your AT&T account. You may want to change it immediately to secure your account and again once you verify all computers on your network are free of malware and all Mail Options are valid.

3. Verify Mail Options and make corrections in the event they have been tampered with. (The steps below are applicable to AT&T and yahoo users.

• Access http://www.att.net and click on the Mail button located on the right of the screen and login.
• Access the Mail Options or More Options link in Webmail.
• Verify Your Signature - Check for changes or unknown content within the signature, and update as appropriate.
• Spam Settings - Verify that your own email address is not listed in the Blocked Email Addresses list. If it is, remove it and click Save Changes.
• Filter - Check filters for unknown filters or filters that direct mail to the trash, and update as appropriate.
• Accounts - Check for any unknown listed accounts. Verify the From Name and Reply-to address. If unknown or incorrect, change the From Name and remove the Reply-to address.
• POP & Forwarding - Check and verify a forwarding address, and update as appropriate.
• Vacation Response - Make sure that the vacation response is disabled, unless this is desirable.
• Contacts - Check you address book. Are all your contacts there or any new added or changed?
• Account Information Tab - Log in required. Verify your personal information is correct.

4. Establish or update your Account Security Question and Answer at https://uversecentral.att.com/uvp/myhome.

1. Log in with you user ID and password.
2. On the Main Tab, click on Profile Management.
3. Enter your current password.
4. In the Security Information section, click on Create or Edit Security Information.

Other Considerations

Notify Contacts - Use an alternate email address or another form of contact to warn your contacts not to open anything from your compromised email address. Recommend that they use updated firewall and anti-virus protection and keep all security patches updated. They should also run an anti-virus scan.

Create a New Email Address - If you don't mind losing your email address, it's best to start fresh and create a new one. You can go here to create new AT&T sub accounts.

Keep Records - Your email address is linked to many of your online activities. If your ID is compromised, you don't want the bad guys asking your bank to send a new user name and password to that email account. Keep track of every activity tied to your email account, and if the account is compromised, immediately notify your bank, Credit Card Company and any other related accounts.

Put Online Purchases on Hold - You'll want to make sure your computer is virus-free before you start entering credit card numbers for online purchases. Some malicious software enables criminals to track every key stroke a computer makes.

Additional Security Measures

Wireless Settings - If you utilize a wireless-capable connection device, please ensure that the wireless connectivity is disabled if it is not being used or that security is enabled for the wireless connection. If security is not enabled, anyone within range of the device can use the connection and you as the account holder will be held responsible for any activity originating from your connection.

Browser Updates - Web browsers are constantly updated to improve functionality and security. Keeping your browser updated to the latest version is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect yourself. To check the version you are currently using, look to your browser toolbar at the top and locate (usually under Help) where it says About, and then the name of your browser. This will tell you what version you have. Then check this list to see if you have the latest supported version for your operating system (OS).

Learn More - Education is an important key to keeping yourself safe and secure online. Several resources are available online, such as OnGuardOnline.gov, a federal government website dedicated to helping you be safe, secure, and responsible online.

source: www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB409170#fbid=EcDeiYK0f92

How To Create Sub Account Email For Time Warner Cable Customers

Creating a sub account for Time Warner Cable is very easy. But the number of sub account emails that you can have depends on what your subscription is. Unlike AT&T, regardless of your subscription, you can have as much as 19 additional sub accounts. And the storage space for their email is unlimited. For Time Warner Cable customers, if you are subscribed to the Ultimate internet package, that's the only time that you can have 20 sub accounts and 50 GB space. That means that if you only have the standard package which is 10 mbps, you have to set up you client email such as outlook, Eudora, Thunderbird, Mac mail, etc. And do not forget to check your webmail by going to webmail.roadrunner.com because though some emails go to your junk, they occupy space on the email server. Better delete the messages after reading them.

Here are the steps for you to add sub accounts: 

1. Log in to selfcare.rr.com.

2. Then click create new sub user.

3. Then fill up the boxes. You don't need to include the domain (e.g. columbus.rr.com, roadrunner.com). Follow the rules enumerated by the page.

Common Browser And FTP Errors

These are the common browsers that you will see and how you can fix them.

1. 400

Bad request.  You entered a URL that is not accepted as correct. Possibly the server being contacted doesn't recognize the document you are asking for or it may no longer exist. It is also possible that it is correct but you aren't authorized to access it. Check the URL to see if it's correctly spelled and that every letter is in the right (upper- or lower-) case. Check colons, numbers of slashes, and tildes.  2. 401  Unauthorized. The site being accessed is protected and you either entered the incorrect password or the host does not want users coming from your domain to enter. Some sites will only allow specific domains to access the site. For example, some U.S. government sites (with the .gov top-level domain name) will only permit users coming from .gov or .edu (educational sites) to gain access. Or some educational sites only allow access from other educational sites. If you are sure you have access to the site, try typing the password again. If you don't have a password or your domain does not have access to the site, you won't be able to access it.  3. 403 Forbidden. You are not permitted to access this document. It is either password-protected or the host does not want your domain to enter.  If you are sure you have access to the site, try typing the password again. If you don't have a password or your domain does not have access to the site, you won't be able to access it.  4. 404 Not found. The host server can't find the HTML document at the URL you've entered. Either you have mistyped the URL, the document no longer exists, or you've been given the wrong URL. If your URL ends in '.htm', try '.html' (and vice versa). To find out whether the site hosting the document is still active, delete everything after the last slash in the URL. If this doesn't work, try deleting the slash and adding .htm or .html to the end. If the site is still running, try and find the page from another location on the site that you can reach.  5. 550 xxxxxxxxx is not a known user Using e-mail, you sent a note to an e-mail address that isn't recognized at the mail server you've specified. The e-mail note got all the way to the mail server (so that part's right), but you may have entered the user part of the e-mail address incorrectly or the user may no longer have an account on that server. Make sure you entered the correct e-mail user name. If you suspect it's an old address or was mistyped in a note sent to you, try looking up a new address using the person's name. Try e-mail address finding tools.  6. Bad File Request The form you're trying to access is not supported by your browser or there is an error in the form. Try using a different browser. If the problem persists or another browser is not available, send an e-mail note to the site's Webmaster. 7. Cannot add form submission result to bookmark list  This error message occurs when you've submitted a search request and then try to save the result as a bookmark. Even though it may look like a valid address, the resulting page does not have a URL that can be reused so it can't be added to your bookmark list. Use the Save As command to save the page to your hard drive. Then you can open the saved HTML page in your browser and add that to your bookmark list. 8. Connection refused by host  You're not permitted to access this document either because it's password-protected or the host doesn't permit your domain to enter.  If you have access to the site and you know the password, try again, making sure you type it correctly and with the correct case.  9. Failed DNS lookup  The URL you requested could not be translated into a valid Internet address by the domain name system. This is either a result of a mistake in the system or you could have mistakenly entered an incorrect URL. Mistakes in DNS lookups are a common occurrence. Simply clicking the Reload button may correct the error. If the error persists, you may have entered an incorrect host name. Try typing the URL again. 10. File contains no data  The site you accessed doesn't contain any Web pages on it. It's possible that you're trying to access the site while the page is being uploaded. Try waiting a minute and clicking on the Reload button. Make sure that the URL is typed in correctly. If the problem persists, try again later. 11. Helper application not found  You're trying to load a file of a type that your browser doesn't recognize. Most browsers can be enabled to view or load file types that they don't otherwise recognize. These files can be sound files, movie clips, graphics, ZIP archive files, or any other type of file you are trying to download. The dialog box that carries this message will tell you the file type that is missing. You can then follow your browser's instructions for assigning a viewer for each file format you wish to view online. It's often better to have certain file formats not assigned to helper applications for Internet browsers. When files are not assigned to helper applications, the dialog box you receive has a 'Save to Disk' option. This can often be useful when you want to download files, such as ZIP archive files, to save them instead of extracting them right away. 12. Host unknown  The server you're trying to reach is not connected, or you have lost your own connection. You may have also entered the URL incorrectly. Click the Reload button and try again. Occasionally, packets don't arrive on the Internet and a second try will work. Next, make sure you are connected to the Internet. If you have lost your connection, simply reconnect and try the URL again. If you still receive the error, check the URL for typos and case-sensitivity. 13. Network connection was refused by the server  Some servers have limits on the number of people or request they can handle at a time. If you get this message, the server is probably too busy to handle one more user. When the server doesn't create its own message to handle this error, this generic message is displayed instead. Try clicking the Reload button until you connect. Or try again later. 14. NNTP server error This error occurs when you are trying to log on to a Usenet newsgroup. An NNTP server is part of your Internet service provider's software, so if this error occurs the software may be malfunctioning or the newsgroup does not exist. Make sure that the URL is typed correctly. If you still receive the error, wait a while and try again. If the problem still persists, contact your access provider and make them aware of the problem. 15. Permission denied This error occurs when you are connected with an FTP site and you are either uploading or downloading. Sometimes the site administrator doesn't want you to upload to the site, download a certain file, or access a certain directory. The site may also be too busy. Check that you are using the correct procedure to upload or download the file. Then keep trying until you succeed. If you still receive the error and know that you're able to upload or download to that site, contact the Webmaster by phone or e-mail.  16.Too many connections--try again later  The limit to the number of people who can use the site at one time has been exceeded. You'll have to wait your turn. Keep clicking the Reload button until you connect or try again later when there is likely to be less traffic. 17. Too many users  To avoid slow uploading and downloading rates, site administrators set a maximum number of users that can access the site at one time. Your request is one too many. Keep trying until you connect or try again later when there is less Internet traffic. Check to see whether the site has mirrors, and try one of those.  18. Unable to locate host  The server is either down for maintenance or you may have lost your connection.  Click the Reload button; sometimes there is an intermittent problem on the Internet. Then make sure you're connected to the Internet. If you have lost your connection, simply reconnect and try the URL again. If you still receive the error, check the URL for typos and case-sensitivity. 19. Unable to locate the server  The server indicated in the URL you typed or clicked from either no longer exists or was entered incorrectly. Check the URL to see if everything is correct. Make sure that everything is correctly spelled and in the correct case (some servers are case-sensitive). You can also check with the source of the URL to verify that it is correct.  20. Viewer not found  Your browser doesn't recognize files of this type. Most browsers can be extended to be able to view or load file types that are not otherwise recognized by browsers, such as movie or sound files. When this dialog box appears, search for a helper application that will open files of this format. Then follow your browser's instructions for assigning this viewer to open files of that format online.  21. You can't log on as an anonymous user  This is another FTP error message. Most browsers submit 'anonymous' as your user ID and your email address as your password. The FTP site you are connecting to may not allow 'anonymous' access. This error will also occur when the FTP server is currently at its limit of 'anonymous' users. Another possibility is that your browser doesn't support anonymous FTP access (for example, America Online's browser). Keep trying to access the FTP site until you succeed. Sometimes the FTP server is too busy. However, if you don't have a browser that allows anonymous FTP access or the site is password-protected, enter your user ID and password manually using FTP software such as WS_FTP or CuteFTP.

Mac TCP Error Codes

Error 1231 On Windows Vista

Error 1231 is a network problem that occurs due to connectivity problem or network trouble shooting. When this problem occurs, the information displayed on the screen is; - ‘location network cannot be reached'. Due to this problem, physical computers are unable to connect to the Internet.

Error code 1231 is associated with Windows Vista. Once it occurs, one cannot ping his or her own IP or default gateway because once one tries to ping this gateway the resultant error reads, ‘ping transmit failed error code 1231 message. When this problem occurs and that one is using V6, try deselecting TCP IP V6 setting under the LAN adapter. This seems to favor V6 over V4 since it is thought that this could cause the problem.

The error message suggests you have a problem with the IP configuration, settings, or with TCP/IP. To fix it reset the TCP/IP stack, below is the process on how to reset the TCP/IP Stack when error 1231 appears:

Go to the Start Menu, type cmd and right click or (Ctrl + Shift and hit Enter), and select "Run As Administrator"

Type the following commands, each followed by pressing enter. § ipconfig /flushdns

nbtstat -R

nbtstat -RR

netsh int reset all

netsh int ip reset

netsh winsock reset

Test connectivity, is the customer able to surf.

Second Fix Process if the first does not work:

Open an elevated command prompt.

Once at the command prompt, type: netsh int ip reset iplog.txt.

NOTE: The last part of the command: "iplog.txt," is the filename of the logged results of the command if you want to view it.

Understanding IPv6

What is an IP address?

IP, which stands for Internet Protocol, works like a street address to pinpoint exactly where you are accessing the Internet from. This allows information, like web pages and email, to be delivered to you. Every device (such as a mobile phone, a Wii, a PlayStation console or a computer) that accesses the Internet must have a unique IP address, which is generally provided by an internet service provider like Time Warner Cable and AT&T. Without an IP address, a device will not be able to get to internet to send and receive information.

An IP address is a unique number that identifies the location of a computer or device on a network. The current IP address version is called IPv4 and a typical public IP address looks like this: 24.128.21.12.

What is IPv6?

IPv6 is the abbreviation for Internet Protocol version 6. We are currently on Internet Protocol version 4, or IPv4, but IPv6 will be the next generation protocol for Internet communication. Not only will IPv6 provide a much larger address space, but it will also provide features such as improved routing traffic and better security.

What does an IPv6 address look like?

An IPv6 address is much longer than an IPv4 address and looks something like 24da:db8:ac10:fe01:2aa:ff:fe00:56ab.

Here are a few characteristics of IPv6:

1. IPv6 contains a combination of both letters and numbers (0 through 9, and A through F).

2. IPv6 consists of 32 hexadecimal characters in an address and is 128 bits in length.

3. An IPv6 address could look like this: fd98:d3e2:f0fe:0:54ae:34ff:fecc:892, compared to an IPV4 address that looks like this: 24.128.21.12.

What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses?

An IPv4 address is a series of 4 numbers separated by periods. An example of an IPv4 address is 192.0.2.15.

An IPv6 address is a series of 8 numbers separated by colons. An example of an IPv6 address is 2001:db8:ac10:fe01:2aa:00ff:fe00:56ab.

Why do we need IPv6?

The Internet has experienced a phenomenal increase of devices accessing the Internet. Because of this increase, IPv4 addresses are running out. The solution is for IPv6 to accommodate this increased demand by providing a much larger address space, along with improved traffic routing and better security.

Some of the major advantages of IPv6 are:

1. Larger IP address space: IPv6 has 128-bit address space or 4 times more address bits compared to IPv4's 32-bit address space. This large address space will provide enough address space for many decades to come.

2. Better security: IPv6 includes security in the underlying protocol. For example, encryption of packets (ESP: Encapsulated Security Payload) and authentication of the sender of packets (AH: Authentication Header).

3. Consideration to real time: To implement better support for real-time traffic (such as videoconference), IPv6 includes a flow label mechanism so routers can more easily recognize where to send information.

4. Plug and play: IPv6 includes plug and play, which is easier for novice users to connect their machines to the network. Essentially, configuration will happen automatically.

5. Better optimization: IPv6 takes the best of what made IPv4 successful and gets rid of minor flaws and unused features.

Why can’t IPv4 just be expanded?

There were many proposals regarding how to solve the problem with the availability of IPv4. The Internet community agreed that the approach of IPv6 is the best.

If we run out of IPv4 addresses, will that mean I will not be able to connect to the Internet?

No, you will still be able to connect to the Internet as you normally do.

Will I need to purchase new equipment to support IPv6?

Your computer probably already supports IPv6, but you should upgrade to the latest version of your operating system and browser. Most network-capable consumer electronics don’t use IPv6 yet, but may with a future software or firmware update. 

Will mobile and wireless devices work on IPv6?

Yes. Mobile and wireless devices will work with IPv6.

Is there any way for me to check my IPv6 readiness?

Yes. But call your internet service provider.

Websites that also provide general IPv6 information include:

The Internet Society - http://www.isoc.org/internet/issues/ipv6.shtml

The American Registry of Internet Numbers - http://www.getipv6.info/index.php/Main_Page

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6

TCP/IP Utilities

Utility is a program or application that enhances an operating system's capabilities by performing a special function not provided by the operating system, such as a "print" utility or a "search and replace" utility.  There are three common TCP/IP utilities: Ping, Tracert, and NSlookup, which are available on both a Macintosh and Windows-based computer.

These utilities will help you diagnose and troubleshoot issues by verifying:

(PING) That a specific IP address or URL is active and also able to send/receive information

(TRACEROUTE) That a route/switch that could be causing an issue is identified

(NSLOOKUP) Who hosts the domain, either by IP address or URL

PING

This command verifies that a specific destination IP address exists and is operating (i.e., accepting requests).  Ping works by sending an echo packet to a specified host and waiting for a reply.  All hosts are supposed to bounce the packet back so that the program can determine if the host is online or not.

Ping can also be used to:

1. Determine how long it takes to receive a response from a specific address (to calculate latency)

2. Determine a host's dot address.  Ping will not help if you are having any non-connectivity related problems with applications like Microsoft Office, etc.

The IPv4 syntax for the ping command is: ping [destination computer or IP address] and the IPv6 syntax for the ping command is: ping6 [destination computer or IP address]

You can set any of the following options when using the ping command:

-n – Specifies the number of packets to transmit.  Default is four.  In the example below, the ping count is 10.

-a – Resolves IP addresses to host names.

-l (Lowercase "L") – The size of the packet being transmitted (default is 32 bytes).  In the example below, the packet size is 50. 

NOTE: The larger the packet, the longer it takes to get a reply. 

 -t – Used for a number of things, such as detecting if the customer has a firewall.  This command will ping an IP address continuously until you press CTRL-C.  To determine if the customer has a firewall, run the command while the customer reboots the PC.  If a firewall loads, the ping replies will stop (unless you press CTRL-C). 

Tracert is a diagnostic utility used to identify equipment issues.  It traces the route taken to a destination by sending echo packets with varying Time-to-Live (TTL) values.  For example, we may only set the TTL to 10 hops.  This tells us the number of hops that a packet of information makes from one point to another in the network.  Each router/switch encountered along the path decreases the TTL value by 1 before forwarding it.  So, if the max TTL is set to 10 hops, it will count down from 10 to 9 and so on until it either is at 0 or finds the piece of equipment it was tracing to. 

When the TTL on a packet reaches 0, the router is supposed to send back a Time Exceeded message. Some servers just drop the request without sending back a message, or they block the packets and return a "Request Timed Out" message. In this case, a row of asterisks (*) is displayed. Tracert determines the route by sending the first echo packet with a TTL of 1 and incrementing the TTL by 1 on each subsequent transmission until the target responds or the maximum TTL is reached. The route is determined by examining the ICMP Time Exceeded messages sent back by intermediate routers.

NOTE: While tracert is an effective tool used to determine the path to a destination site, it is not always the best tool for determining packet loss or latency along that path. Because of the way that tracert works (it only pings each hop three times, therefore providing a very small sample of data), the times listed at each hop may give an inaccurate representation of the status of the network. Ping is a much more effective tool for determining packet loss and latency.

NOTE: The first column is the hop number.  The next three columns show ping times between you and that particular host.  The last column shows the name of that server, or gateway, and its IP address.

A few important facts about Internet speeds related to latency:

Hop times of less than (<) 100 milliseconds are normal for short (<100 distances.="distances." medium="medium" miles="miles" p="p" to="to">

Hop times of <200 although="although" applications.="applications." cause="cause" distances="distances" do="do" for="for" ideal="ideal" in="in" longer="longer" miles="miles" milliseconds="milliseconds" most="most" not="not" p="p" problems="problems" the="the" us="us">

Sustained, consistent hop times greater than (>) 250 milliseconds need to be investigated. Occasional response times of >250 milliseconds do not need to be investigated (these occur due to momentary network congestion). 

The Traceroute command line syntax is:

tracert [-d] [-h maximum_hops] [-w timeout] target_name >> textfile.txt

Traceroute Command Line Options:

-"d" – Does not resolve addresses to hostnames. 

-"h maximum_hops" – Maximum number of hops to search for target. 

-"w timeout" – Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply. 

">> textfile.txt" – Writes the results to textfile.txt in the same directory you run tracert from. 

NSlookup

This diagnostic tool displays information from the DNS name servers.  You can enter a host name and find the corresponding IP address.  You can also enter an IP address, and the corresponding host name will be displayed.  This is known as a "reverse lookup".

The command line for NSLookup is:

C:> nslookup [domain or IP address]

NSLookup Command Line Result

NSlookup by URL: 

When starting NSLookup, you may receive the following errors:

Can't find server name for address example: w.x.y.z Timed out.

NOTE: w.x.y.z is the first DNS server listed in the DNS Service Search Order list.

The error indicates that no servers have been defined in the DNS Service Search Order list.  To correct this problem, add the IP address of a valid DNS server to this list.

Can't find server name for address 127.0.0.1: Timed out

This error indicates that the DNS server cannot be reached or the service is not running on that computer.  To correct this problem, either start the DNS service on that server or check for possible connectivity problems.

100 Days With Mr Arrogant

After being dumped by her boyfriend just before their 100 day anniversary, Ha-Young (Ha Ji-Won) meets a college guy named Hyung-Joon when she kicks a can that accidentally hits him in the face and causes him to scratch his Lexus. He demands she pay him $3000 on the spot. She escapes from him, leaving her wallet behind.

Hyung-Joon stalks her, demanding money to pay for his car. Since she is a poor high school student Hyung-Joon writes up a "Enslavement Agreement" for Ha-Young in order to pay for the damage to his car. Ha-Young is thrown into a nightmarish slave life for 100 days, running his errands, i.e.: cleaning his house, carrying his shopping, and cleaning his car.

By accident she finds out that the damage to Hyung-Joon's car that's only $10! She then takes her revenge. However, before she knows it Hyung-Joon shows up at her house as her new tutor! He once again takes advantage of her, but soon Ha-Young finds herself falling head over heels for Hyung-Joon. But what happens when he drops out of her life just when she needs him most?

The original Korean title can be literally translated as "my love, the asshole," or, more roughly, as "my love, the no-manners".

200 Pound Beauty

Han-na is an overweight phone sex employee and a ghost singer for Amy, a famous pop singer who actually lip syncs. Instead of being famous for her own amazing vocal talent, Han-na hides behind Amy's performance stage and sings during Amy's concerts, and records all of Amy's songs. One day, Amy ungratefully humiliates her in front of the music company's director Sang-jun during his birthday party, knowing full well that Han-na has a crush on him. While crying in the bathroom, Han-na overhears Sang-jun telling Amy that even though they are just using Han-na for her voice, they must be kind to her so she will not walk out on them. Heartbroken, Han-na attempts suicide but is interrupted by a phone call from one of her phone sex regulars who happens to be a top plastic surgeon. She decides to get head-to-toe plastic surgery instead. The surgeon at first refuses to operate on Han-na, but Han-na threatens to blackmail the surgeon by telling his wife about his calls. Then, Han-na makes a moving speech that she does not want to undergo surgery merely to be beautiful, but for the sake of love and as a boost in confidence, and the surgeon is deeply moved. Han-na puts herself in seclusion for a year as she recovers from the changes.

When she comes back from the hospital, Han-na is incredibly beautiful and slender. No one, not even her best friend, Jung-min, recognizes her. With Jung-min's help, she creates a new identity for herself; she is now a Korean-American from California named Jenny. After auditioning to be Amy's secret vocalist again, she earns her own recording contract instead from Sang-jun, claiming that she is "all-natural". In the meantime, Amy, oblivious just like everyone else of Han-na's new identity, desperately tries to find Han-na so that she can record her own postponed album (since she cannot sing the songs herself) by spending time with Han-na's father who is in a hospital due to mental problems, possibly Alzheimer's. Meanwhile, romance begins to blossom between Jenny and Sang-jun, as he continues to promote Jenny, in effect boosting Han-na's confidence in her new self. However, Amy, through spending time with Han-na's father and Jenny, eventually realizes that this Jenny is actually Han-na in disguise.

During a date one night, as sparks fly, Jenny strips for Sang-jun in the character of a nurse, through a phone sex session. After Jenny has fallen asleep, he sees the African character Jenny had drawn on the glass and realizes that he had seen it before. He remembers that Han-na had drawn exactly the same signs on a sheet of music. Then he adds up all of the signs and realizes as well that Jenny is actually Han-na but he keeps this information to himself.

Jenny's debut single "Maria" becomes a hit and the recording company holds a party to celebrate its release. On the day of the party however, Amy brings Han-na's father in an attempt to blow her cover. Han-na's father tries to return Han-na's Barbie doll to her, which had always been Han-na's favorite childhood gift from him. Startled by the sudden appearance of her father and not knowing how to react in front of all the people, including Sang-jun, Han-na denies knowing her father and calls him a fan instead when Sang-jun asks her if the old man is her guest. As her father keeps insisting on giving her the doll, Sang-jun drags him away from Jenny and accidentally knocks him down onto the floor. Desperate to keep her true identity a secret, Han-na makes no move to help her father. It is Jung-min who finally helps him up, casts Jenny a furious look and leads Han-na's father away from the party.

After the party, Sang-jun and Jenny are the only ones left in the room. Sang-jun reveals to Jenny that he knows her true identity but is now cold and distant. He seems unable to forgive her for lying to him but says that he will still work to promote Jenny and carry on with her concert scheduled the next day. Han-na breaks down at this point, heartbroken and unable to pretend to be someone else anymore. Han-na tells him that it is incredibly frustrating and painful not being able to just be herself but have to live a lie, especially in front of him. The surgery that took a whole year to recover from was not nearly as painful as realizing that she still could not be close to Sang-jun. As Sang-jun tries to comfort her, she brushes away his efforts saying, "You broke my heart. Tissue paper cannot fix it."

Sang-jun still insists on continuing with Jenny's first concert, despite protests from the company boss. Later, he encourages a distraught Jenny to do this concert, not for the sake of the fans or the company but for herself, thus implying that he has forgiven her and will continue to support her. At the concert, Jenny can't sing and later breaks down from the pressure of seeing her father being dragged away by security and tells everybody to stop. She then reveals to the public that Jenny is a "fake," and that she is not "all-natural", as she had claimed, but is "plastic". However, nobody seems to believe her. She proceeds tearfully to tell the large crowd her story: how she has abandoned everything that is dear to her - her best friend and father - to get to where she is. She also tells the crowd about how on the way to fame and fortune she has also lost her own identity and that she now no longer knows who she is. Just then, the screens behind her on the stage start to show a clip of the old, obese Han-na, singing angelically. Han-na turns around and sees her old image and tells the crowd that the image is the real her. The crowd, moved by her sincere confession, responds by chanting "It's okay," and Han-na rekindles her relationships with her father and best friend. She drops the stage name Jenny and re-releases a CD with her own name, Han-na, and becomes a highly successful music artist, gaining many fans and anti-fans along the way. Sang-jun realizes the very thing about Han-na that had always drawn him to her was Han-na's innocence. However he also realizes that she has moved on and is now content with who she is.

At the end of the movie, Jung-min also asks to get head-to-toe plastic surgery.