This is How to check your IP address in a Microsoft Windows Operating System

Here are a set of instructions for checking and troubleshooting the configuration of your IP address.
Checking your IP address is one of the easier pieces of networking information to obtain.
It can be done in a few simple steps, and they are basically the same in most all versions of Windows

• • Then Click Run and type in the word Command or just the letters CMD
  • That will bring up a little black window called a DOS prompt window.
    command prompt
  • There are several different TCP/IP commands you can use from this window to gain info on your network/computers ability to communicate with other computers
  • From the DOS prompt type in the command:
    ipconfig /all

This is going to tell you several important things such as your current IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway.

If you have more than one network card/connection on your computer (i.e. one wireless, one ethernet ) this list may show multiple connections separated by like paragraphs about each one as shown in the graphic above. Use the name of the connection to determine which one is the one you are currently using to connect to your router or internet connection.

If you have a complicated setup with different network cards (multihomed device) then it may take a little practice deciphering all this information. It’s also worth remembering that not only physical devices will show up here, you might have connections like multiple rotating proxies or similar too.

Definition of IP Address

check your ip address in microsoft windows
This information is not always 100% accurate, sometimes your computer will show a valid IP address –
Yet not communicate properly with your router
In this case you want to use a couple commands that will tell your computer to re-establish communication with the router, by doing what’s called a “release and renew”

The First step is to release the ip address:
Type the command IPCONFIG /RELEASE
This should reset the address to 0.0.0.0
The Next step is to “ask” the router re-assign an ip address to this adapter:
Type the command IPCONFIG /RENEW

The new address should come up as one of your private network address such as 192.168.x.x or 172.16.x.x if you are using a router or if you are connected directly to your high speed modem then you may get an address directly from your ISP.

If you get an address that starts with a 169.254.x.x *there is still a problem with your computers ability to “pull” an accurate address from your router*

Remember the IP addresses listed above are primarily ‘internal addresses’ meaning that they can only be seen in the internal network.  The main exception is the address assigned to your modem/router which is assigned by your ISP, this is the internet facing address and is visible to websites you visit.  If you want to modify or hide this address then you’ll need an external proxy or VPN server – much like the one in this post about how to watch UK TV in France.

Using this method none of your actual IP addresses will change however, they will be obscured when you visit any other website.  This is how you bypass the various geo-blocks that exists online.  Just have a look at this video for an brief illustration of how it works.

When you visit a web site using a VPN server, none of your IP addresses are visible. The website will only see the IP address of the VPN server you are connected to. Therefore if you want to access a US only website, then you can connect first to a VPN or proxy based in the USA first. This will allow you full access as long as you remain connected to the US server, although some servers only check on the initial connection.