We all know that EVERY hosting company claims to be the fastest and most reliable on the entire net, right? Well, they all can't be and aren't. So how do we separate fact from fiction? Two handy little tools called "ping" and "tracert".

To "ping", just into your desktop under programs and then accessories. Select "C: prompt", "command prompt", or whatever it's called in your version of windows. Then, once the small window opens with the C:/ showing, just type ping google.com or ping anysite.com (you don't need the www), depending on what site you'd like to check. The computer will bounce a signal, or ping, from your computer to the target site and back, measuring the connect time.

Tracert (trace route) is similar but more detailed. Access your C:/ prompt as above but this time type in tracert google.com or tracert anysite.com. The results now will not only show the connect time, but also the time for each jump from hub to hub from your location to the target desination. Another nifty little bit of info you can extract from tracert is the actual host server, and it's NOT always what you expect! This is a great way to tell if two different companies are actually one, masquerading as two, or more companies.