Finding an Internet Protocol or IP address was quite difficult in the previous version of windows like windows 98 and 2000. People had to physically locate the IP address of a computer and make the necessary changes. However, this problem has been taken care of in the newer versions of windows and has removed hurdles that posed many problems to users, especially during Online Gaming. IP addresses have been physically made visible to computer users so that they can be conveyed to other users who have previous versions of windows installed on their computers and therefore, to optimize their gaming or Internet usage experience.
Locating an IP address of a computer
A dedicated program is installed with the windows 7 installation known as ‘Network and Sharing Center’ that manages all the Internet connection and displays the current available Internet or wireless connections. Double click on the Network and Sharing Center visible on the home screen. A user can also locate it by typing ‘network and sharing’ in the search bar located in My Computer or the Control Panel home menu.
A network icon will be visible on the desktop. If not, you can always set one up in the Network and Sharing Center. Right click on the desktop icon and click on the underlined Network and Sharing Center, if a network appears. A window will pop up showing a general map of the network. Click on the ‘View Full Map’ icon to view the detail network map of the connection. The network lines are indicated that distinguish a correct (operational) connection from an un-operational one.
Trace the operational line to the correct PC and hover the mouse pointer over it. The IP address will be visible to you. Instead, a user can also locate the IP address by right clicking on the icon and clicking on Properties. The process of obtaining an IP address of another computer becomes especially important if you want to create a remote connection for Internet gaming or server gaming (LAN gaming).
Locating an IP address enables windows users to effectively manage their gaming or file sharing tasks between two or more computers easily.
