Article ID: 298100
Article Last Modified on 1/31/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
- Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q298100
The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.
SYMPTOMS
When you attempt to verify network connectivity with another computer by using the TCP/IP Ping.exe command-line utility, you may receive the following command-line error message:
or
You are unable to connect to (ping) another computer on the local network or on the Internet.
CAUSE
This behavior may occur when you use an Internet security (personal firewall) program to protect your computer. The personal firewall program blocks unwanted network access to your computer and may also prevent programs on your computer from accessing the network.
The error appears when the ping command is blocked from accessing the network, or when the personal firewall product is configured to block ICMP Echo and/or Echo Reply packets.
RESOLUTION
To resolve this behavior, configure your personal firewall program to allow the ping command network access, or configure the program to allow ICMP Echo or Echo Reply packets. Consult your program documentation for information about how to do this.
For information about how to contact Internet Security program vendors, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K
60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P
60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z
WARNING: Using the following workaround may make your computer vulnerable to external access or attack. Use this workaround with caution. Immediately re-enable your firewall protection after following these steps!
To work around this behavior, temporarily disable the personal firewall while you use the ping command. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click Start, and then click Run.
- In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
- In System Configuration Utility, on the Startup tab, click to clear all check boxes that are related to the personal firewall program. For example, with ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm, clear the following check boxes:
TrueVector
MiniLog
ZoneAlarm - Click Apply, and then click OK.
- Click Yes to restart the computer.
Re-enable the personal firewall program when you again want to protect your computer from unwanted external access.
Keywords: kb3rdparty kberrmsg kbnetwork kbprb KB298100
