How to Trace an IP Address

Whenever you get online,your computer is assigned an IP address. If you connect through the router, all of the computers on that network will share a similar Internet Protocol address; though each computer on the network will have a unique Internet address. An IP address is the Internet Protocol (IP) address given to every computer connected to the Internet. An IP address is needed to send information, much like a street address or P.O. box is needed to receive regular mail. Tracing an IP address is actually pretty straightforward, and even though it's not always possible to track down a specific individual, you can get enough information to take action and file a complaint.
For example, if there was some guy claiming to be Chuck Norris, and tried to get personal information from your Gmail account, you could view his IP address, and then track him. Here's how:

STEP:

Click on Start>Accessories>Command Prompt.

Type PING [URL] or TRACERT [URL] - example: PING http://www.facebook.com/.

The IP address should appear beside the website name. The format of an IP address is numeric, written as four numbers separated by periods. The format of an IP address is numeric, written as four numbers separated by periods. It looks like 71.238.34.104 or similar.
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To find the IP of an e-mail sent to you, investigate the message's "headers." The steps to finding message headers depend on your email client.

Gmail for example:

• Log in to Gmail.
  
  
  
• Open the message you'd like to view headers for.
  
  
• Click the down arrow next to Reply, at the top of the message pane.
  
  
• Select Show Original.
  
  

Use the methods described above to obtain the IP number you wish to check.

2

Go to a website that will allow you to look up IP address information. Google "IP Lookup" or "IP Geolcation" for a large list of sites that will freely offer this service.

3

Understand what you can and cannot learn from the IP address:

• Which internet service provider (ISP) the user is using. In some cases this may be the user's company (e.g. Ford.com). In other cases it may be just one of the large ISPs such as ATT or Comcast.
• The approximate physical location of the user (e.g. Palo Alto, California.)
• Recognize that usually you will not learn the actual name of the person doing at that IP address (e.g. Joe Smith). ISPs will typically only release such information under a court order.
  
  
  

  
  

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