How to Run Traceroute from Windows

If you find your site unavailable, it may be caused by a server or network failure but is most often caused by an internet failure somewhere between your computer and the server. Running a traceroute will help you determine where the problem starts.

To run traceroute from your Windows computer do the following:

1. Click on 'Start' and then 'Run'.

2. In the box type 'cmd' (without the quotes) and click OK.

3. At the command prompt that pops up in the black box type tracert domain.ext (replace domain.ext with your domain name and extension). It may take a few seconds but will give a traceroute from you computer to the destination you typed in.

4. To copy the results, right click on the window and choose 'Select All'. This will copy the contents to your clipboard and the box contents will turn white with black text.

5. Go to the document you want to put the results into (email to tech support), right click and choose paste (or ctrl V).

6. You may now close the traceroute window.

If you want a great visual representation of a traceroute over time like the one below, get a copy of Pingplotter here.