By default, the Network Connections
window only shows your installed hardware, which means you can add a
new network adapter, and it will show up in this list.
But the Network Connections window also supports virtual connections,
such as dial-up (analog modem) connections and broadband (PPPoE) connections.
To add one of these, open the Network and Sharing Center and click
the Set up a connection or network link, as described in ???Internet Me,??? later
in this chapter. Of course, you??™ll have to return to the Network Connections
window if you want to modify or delete one of these virtual connections.
If you ever use more than one network connection at once, see the next sidebar,
???Prioritize Network Connections,??? for a way to get the desired results.
Test an IP Address
One surefire way to test a connection is to use the Ping utility, which essentially
sends small packets of information to another computer on your network,
and reports on its success (if any).
Open the Start menu, type cmd, and press Enter to open the Command
Prompt. At the prompt, type ping address, where address is the IP address of
Prioritize Network Connections
There??™s a little-known setting you can play with that may solve problems if
you have more than one network adapter on your PC. Say you connect wirelessly
at home most of the time, but when you transfer a lot of files from one
PC to another, you prefer to use a cable for greater speed.
Except in specific cases, Windows Vista will only use one network adapter at
a time.
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