static IP ~ the address remains the same

dynamic IP ~ the address changes each time you reconnect to the internet

one way to get your ip ~ no tools, no sites.... just good old know how.... the standard way for most windoz users to view their IP address is to  click the start button in the lower left......... then click on  run...

yet another way ~ some browsers have it built in ..... a simple click on ENIGMA browser 

and a pop up shows you your IP. 

I heard you can use IP to see where a bad email came from?   true !

for most emails it just a matter of reading the headers  ( in yahoo / options, click view full headers .... on out look, its under file, properties, details.  for example..... it will look something like this in the details..... its the received from

an IP can be used to find the general location of a mail or to find  an address  to report abuse to. some people can hide who the message is from ~ but the IP will always give them away.  grab your own ip using any of the above tips, and run it at www.samspade.org  ~ most likely it will give you your isp address and  show a report abuse to address.  most likely you wont need to do this. but best to be prepared. 

what is my IP address? how do i find it?  

there are several ways to find your IP

you can visit www.privacy.net and click what they know about you...... 

you can use a tool like  MYIP   ~ a tiny 4 KB !download that sits in your system tray
   if you want it ( or launch if you need it.
    when you hover your mouse over it, it shows you your IP address.  need the IP? just right click and select copy to clip board and its ready to paste. it also shows your computers name.  (note MYIP is copyrighted 2002 by Erik Johnson and is free to all users.) Erik created YCHAT, and made this program for Nhyrvana ~ THANKS ERIK!!!  he also made a nice alternate that just pops up a screen with your ip 3.5KB (imagine a big grin!)

and DeepThawt has customized his ip tool for nhyrvana   *big grin *  CutIp is 3.5 KB and just pops up this little screen ....  then click okay to clipboard the ip address to use on netmeeting or wherever..or click cancel to just close it.

how do you protect your IP ? don't give it out to anyone, its like the key to the front door!  use a firewall to protect your self, some people use proxies.   and because your mail carries your ip on it (even if you use a web-based mail )  i recommend sending mail just before you reboot or shutdown.  (that's a personal preference) 

So why do you need to know your IP ?

there are lamers and idiots all around who will try to fool you into thinking your IP is exposed. If you know what it is ~ then your one step ahead of the game. 

you may need it for setting up a network ( don't ask me about that!!! ) 

you may need it for a program like netmeeting