Tools Let You Trace the Path Your Computer Takes When You Access a Web Site

Question: When I visit a Web site, how many server computers am I going through? Are some Web sites faster to access than others?

--George D., El Monte

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Answer: The Internet consists of millions of computers that can communicate with each other.

When you visit https://www.latimes.com, for example, several computers are accessed before you get to your destination. Windows provides you with tools that can show you the route your computer takes when going to a Web site you’ve requested.

TRACERT is one of those tools. While connected to the Internet, click on Start and then on Run. Type the word COMMAND and press Enter or click OK. At the DOS prompt, type TRACERT, a space, and then a Web URL (Universal Resource Locator). Try typing “TRACERT www.latimes.com” (without the quotes). Windows will now trace the path your computer takes to get to the L.A. Times Web site.

Another interesting Windows tool is PING. Using the DOS prompt as above, type PING, insert a space, and then type a URL. Press Enter or click OK. PING will give you the average time it takes to get to the URL you requested based on a few contacts. You’ll also see the maximum and minimum times. You can use these times to compare access times between Web sites. Type EXIT and press Enter or click OK to return to Windows.

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Q: I’d like to take things off of my desktop, but when I try to drop them over the recycle bin, I get a message that makes me think I’d be removing the program and not just the desktop icon. Is this so?

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A: Dropping a desktop icon on the recycle bin removes that icon from the desktop. It does not remove anything other than the icon. Any programs affiliated with the desktop icon you removed still reside on your hard drive.

The recycle bin is, in a sense, a holding bin for things you delete from your hard drive. Even though you banish something to the recycle bin, it will remain on your hard drive.

Right-click on the recycle bin icon and you’ll have the option to empty the bin. Once you empty the bin, and program, folder, shortcut, etc. stored in it, it will be deleted.

You can even eliminate that extra step by holding down the Shift key while you drag and drop anything to the recycle bin. Holding the Shift key down forces Windows to delete rather than store in the bin.

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Q: I have documents and spreadsheets on a floppy disk. I need to make a copy of that disk to send to a client. What’s the best way to do that?

--Mark M., Sunland

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A: Windows can easily make copies of your floppy disks.

Insert the floppy disk to be copied in your floppy drive (drive A:). Double-click on My Computer and then click once on the icon for drive A:. Now right-click on that icon and select Copy Disk. Click Start in the resulting dialogue box and Windows will read the information on the source floppy disk.

Once it has read the entire floppy disk, Windows will prompt you to insert the destination floppy disk (the disk that you want to copy the information onto). Just insert the new floppy and click OK.

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Jeff Levy hosts the “On Computers” radio talk show from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on KFI-AM (640). He can be reached at jefflevykfi@hotmail.com.