Double-click Computer Management. The Computer Management console appears see

Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers NET HELP works in XP, whereas NET ? does not; however, ? after any other command in 2000 and XP does work. When you type either command, MS-DOS lists all the network MS-DOS commands, along with a brief description. Because there is more than one screen of commands, you might want dis- play the commands one screen at a time. Using the |MORE switch or the P switch, you can display a screen of help at a time. If you want to display help on any one command, you can enter the command with the ? switch. For example, type NET USE ? to view a description of that command plus any parameters and switches you can use with NET USE. NET USE is a command that displays your current network connections. Viewing connections PING is the most common command used at a command prompt. PING sends echoes out to the IP address you specify and then lists responses back from the device. If PING doesn’t work, the connection isn’t working on a hardware level. For example, suppose you type the following into one computer: PING 192.168.11.123 The command sends the echo request to the IP address 192.168.11.123. If the network card, cable or wireless connection, hub or switch, and any other hardware in between are working, the other computer replies. If there is a problem, the PING request times out. For more information about using PING, see Appendix B. Viewing a computer’s network settings The NET CONFIG command, in Windows 98, enables you to view the current computer’s net- work settings. You see the computer’s name, username, workgroup name, and software oper- ating system version. Following is an example of what you might see if you type NET CONFIG at the MS-DOS prompt. Computer Name \\Sue User name PlumSJ Workgroup Opinions Workstation Root Directory C:\Windows Software Version 4.10.1999 Redirector Version 4.00 The redirector is a software module on all networked computers. The redirector intercepts the requests from applications and diverts them to another computer. In Windows XP, the NET CONFIG command is of little help to you because it shows you the services you can control that are running instead of username and workgroup. Some other DOS commands you cannot use with 2000 and XP because of the security. Still, if you’re in doubt, try the command. Windows will tell you what you need to know. Note Cross- Reference Note