How to use traceroute (tracert)

Traceroute is a useful network tool, which could be used to diagnose the connection to a particular host. The traceroute command determines the path taken by the packets sent from your computer to a specific destination.

In order to perform a traceroute, follow the instructions appropriate to your operating system:

- Windows Vista / Windows7: Go to the Start menu, type cmd in the search field and then press Enter.

- Older Windows versions: From the Start menu, select Run. Type cmd (Windows NT, 2000, and XP) or command (Windows 95, 98, and Me) in the "Open:" box and then press Enter.

In the command prompt, enter:

- Mac OS: Double-click the Hard Drive icon, then go to Applications folder > Utilities folder > Network Utility. Select the Traceroute tab and enter my-best-domain.com, then press Enter.

- Linux/Unix-like OSs: Open Terminal and enter:

Should there be any timeouts, you will be able to see at which point they occur and determine whether the problem lies at your local network, your ISP's network, our (your hosting provider's) network or somewhere in between. The results of a traceroute can help our support staff or the support staff of your ISP to determine the cause for the problem and resolve it.