Command Prompt & Ping (not working)

I was testing a network card and tried to use my command prompt console to 'ping' ~ It gives me the message 'ping' is not recognised as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

I do not know why this has happened or how to fix it
Would be grateful if someone could advise, thanks.

 

From Ovidiu Popa MS-MVP (XP):

ping.exe should be located in C:\WINNT\system32. Do a search on your system
drive and see if it's there. If yes, check if you have the right system path: right click My Computer, Advanced tab, click Environment Variables. Under System Variables, Path you should see the path to that directory. If it's not there, add it as %SystemRoot%\system32

 

Unless you have TCP/IP loaded, you won't see Ping as an option since it's a specific utility for that protocol. Same with a bunch of others like arp.

 

Many thanks to both of you - I have now got 'ping' back following the directions posted by brett. Sorry about the delay in replying but just managed to get it fixed today.

Whilst it is comforting to have my 'ping' back - does anyone know a reason as to why it would have stopped working when I was able to 'ping' previously? It was only this week that I found it had disappeared

 

Not really. I can only guess that some third-party software must have made some unwanted changes (unless you are guilty of tinkering!).

 

Hi brett

I think I will blame it on 3rd party software as I am not one to tinker with XP
Thanks again for the solution even though I don't know what caused it. I just hope it doesn't go missing again otherwise I will have to investigate the cause.

 

I have noticed that when I start my command window, the path it starts in is C:\Documen~1\Dave. In order for me to use ping, I always have to switch to the System32 directory. I always use the CD .. command till I get back to C: then CD Windows, CD System32. If there is a shorter way to do this .. ????
Dave

 

If you are actually running Command.com rather than cmd.exe, the pathing information is probably very incomplete.

From the shortened path name you posted, my bet is you are using command.com and it doesn't understand long file names or lots of other newer goodies. Try start~run~cmd and see if your problems are solved.

No reason to use command.com on a 2K or XP system unless you have the very rare occasion where some applet refuses to work with a 32bit command window and requires the 16bit thing you get from command.com on these systems.

 

Thanks Newt

I actually did not know there were 2 different command windows. That actually explains a great many things to me ... lol

 

Yup. Cmd.exe is a full 32bit app. Command.com is an old 16bit.

Bear in mind that this is a 2K/XP answer only. Other OS versions have command.com as a 32bit app I think.