If your connection is lost, it's most likely a problem with either the
server itself or the infrastructure in between.  In many cases, you probably
have to reset some hardware device which is most likely not going to respond
to a .NET program.

Additionally, just because the ping is unsuccessful doesn't mean that
connectivity is lost.  It is possible to disable ping responses so as to
simulate a downed server.

In general, if the problem is on the server side of your ping, you probably
don't have much control from the client.