The output of the ping command, as illustrated in the above screenshot, shows the live status of your Internet connection. The “-t” switch is important as it means that the ping command will run forever unless stopped manually by hitting Ctrl + C. Go to Start -> Run and type “ping -t 8.8.8.8” without the quotes. Luckily, there isn’t a need to download another utility as the included ping command can itself help monitor the downtime. While the ISP resolves the issue, I have to continuously monitor the Internet connection as certain actions - like submitting web forms - would fail if initiated while the computer is offline. Even power cycling the hardware failed to fix the problem. It is most likely an ISP issue as the modem, the router, the DNS server, and the network connections seem perfect. This erratic on/off cycle repeats itself throughout the day. It works fine for 10-15 minutes, breaks for about a minute and the connection is then automatically restored. The internet connection has been flaky for the past few days.
