# Windows 7 Can't Ping
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-cant-ping/604602
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 30, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-cant-ping/604602 "2011-11-30T20:46:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-cant-ping/604602/1 "2011-11-30T20:46:37Z")
Are you using a proxy server? If you are, then your browser doesn’t contact google directly. It sends the request to the proxy server which then sends the request to google. Google’s web server then sends the reply to the proxy server which forwards it back to you.
Depending on the way your network is set up, you may be able to ping the proxy server but not ping anything external to it on the internet.
Can you ping anything else on your local network? (is there anything else on your local network?)
Do you have a router that may or may not be acting as a proxy server? Is your router set to filter off pings to and from the external network?
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-cant-ping/604602/2 "2011-11-30T22:13:00Z")
I just tested my Win 7 box and it pang fine, no problem.
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### Author:  [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-cant-ping/604602/3 "2011-11-30T22:41:49Z")
If it’s working in the browser, why are you trying to ping? Not snark – I’m actually curious where this came in to play. Only time I ever use ping is as a diagnostic for other issues.
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### Author:  [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-cant-ping/604602/4 "2011-11-30T23:21:54Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
>
> Are you using a proxy server? If you are, then your browser doesn’t contact google directly. It sends the request to the proxy server which then sends the request to google. Google’s web server then sends the reply to the proxy server which forwards it back to you.
>
> Depending on the way your network is set up, you may be able to ping the proxy server but not ping anything external to it on the internet.
>
> Can you ping anything else on your local network? (is there anything else on your local network?)
>
> Do you have a router that may or may not be acting as a proxy server? Is your router set to filter off pings to and from the external network?
It’s happened on two networks now. As far as I know it’s just a wireless router hooked up to a cable modem in both cases.
> [@typoink](#):
>
> If it’s working in the browser, why are you trying to ping? Not snark – I’m actually curious where this came in to play. Only time I ever use ping is as a diagnostic for other issues.
I wanted to see the response time of my webhosting.
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### Author:  [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-cant-ping/604602/5 "2011-12-01T00:35:16Z")
Are you pinging a domain name or an IP address? Any chance the browser is able to access your DNS server, but the command line is not?
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### Author:  [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-cant-ping/604602/6 "2011-12-01T01:01:27Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> I just tested my Win 7 box and it pang fine, no problem.
Same here. Apparently my Windows PC is well pung.
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### Author:  [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-cant-ping/604602/7 "2011-12-01T01:52:14Z")
Much like other posters, I would guess that there’s a firewall (the Windows one, a third-party one, or one on your router) specifically blocking pings / ICMP traffic. Check your firewall configuration. ETA: Oh, and to echo\* another, make sure your firewall isn’t blocking the cmd app, too.
Also, what can you successfully ping? Can yo ping 127.0.0.1? Can you ping your own IP address? Can you ping your gateway’s IP address? Can you ping your DNS server (assuming it’s your ISP and not the same as your gateway)?
- I love CLI humor.