DNS Issues

[Vince]

Before saying anything else, I realize the inherent stupidity of complaining about something in Vista. I'd rather not have to do a full reformat, as I do not have a disc, which also I believe is keeping me from uninstalling and reinstalling the software and such for the wireless adaptor (which I do not think is the problem).

Liz might be able to help me, since I believe she posted on Facebook some time back about having a problem like this.

As far as I can understand it, I have a great connection to the router, but the router can't resolve any DNS addresses. I've tried:

This (http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TheNuclearOptionResettingTheCrapOutOfYourNetworkAd aptersInVista.aspx)
This (http://geekswithblogs.net/bbiales/archive/2009/02/26/129712.aspx)
And most of the stuff in this Thread (http://www.daniweb.com/hardware-and-software/microsoft-windows/windows-vista-and-windows-7/threads/73818).

I'm posting from the older Dell laptop I have (fortunately) not had time to Office Space yet. The thing that leads me to believe it's not the wireless adaptor in my (newer) HP laptop is that the network I usually connect with, a private network, doesn't work on the Dell either. I'm presently connected using the Dell laptop (running Ubuntu 11.10) via the public Linksys network, which the Vista cannot connect to, nor can it figure out the public Linksys network's settings.

The router registers a connection, and indicates it does have a connection to the internet. This is getting frustrating.

I have my reasons for trying to continue to use Vista, mainly because I don't have the money for Windows 7, I want to continue to use Microsoft Office, and there's a bevy of programs I like using that I can't on Ubuntu.

I will split partition the computer and transfer the files (I remember doing that for a previous foray into Ubuntu) if I have to (an internet connection is a must for school and my attempts to get a job), but again I have to say that any way of skirting that avenue is one I will try to take.

EDIT:

I reset the router and then set up the connections from scratch again, which has allowed me to regain a connection, this time through both the private and the public networks. From what I've read though this isn't a completely permanent solution (the only one I've seen is to ditch Vista and go for 7 or another more stable OS like Ubuntu).

[Crusader]

Have you checked that your system/network is not affected by the trojan dns-changer?

www.dns-ok.de (http://www.dns-ok.de)

[Wyl Staedtler]

Liz might be able to help me, since I believe she posted on Facebook some time back about having a problem like this.




I wish I could help, but I still don't understand what a DNS <i>is</i>. :( I've just been shooting my laptop with a Nerf gun when it tells me I have a DNS error. It's very therapeutic but doesn't seem to help much. Thank goodness I'll be going back to the bush soon.

Hope you fare better, buddy!

[Morgan Evanar]

Change your DNS addresses to 8.8.8.8 and 208.67.222.222. Free DNS from google and OpenDNS. Many ISPs have awful DNS servers. And check for nasties, like Peter suggested.

Vista isn't anywhere near as bad as most people say, and it's better than XP, especially now.

DNS resolves hostnames (sw-fans.net) to IP addresses (75.126.43.122).

[Vince]

I have tried to use Google's DNS (8.8.8.8), but that hasn't worked; I'm sure I'm missing something, but can't tell what.

[Morgan Evanar]

You're still not resolving names or?

[Vince]

I am actually resolving names now (with the IP DNS address again), but when I use the Google DNS, it doesn't resolve. I'm pretty sure that I need to change the DNS address in more than the settings dialogue for the internet connection, but I can't figure out what.

[Morgan Evanar]

You shouldn't need to, but can you post pictures of where you're changing the settings?

[Vince]

I can bring up pictures, but they'd be cruddy ones from my phone, as I've yet to get Print Screen to take a screen shot on my laptop.

I did manage to figure out what I was forgetting in setting up the alternative dns addresses: the router. Up until now I've only changed the settings from the Network and Sharing Center window, where I would open Manage Network Connections. That's all well and good, but the problem was that the router didn't have those dns addresses to use to communicate with the other servers. I had to get into the router's setup page and put the alternate dns addresses in so the router could use them. Once that was done, the connection was right as rain.

EDIT:

Sigh. I said the connection was as right as rain, but I lost all connection again. I checked the webpage for the router, and all the settings were the exact same, that is, all the settings regarding the preferred dns addresses and the alternates hadn't changed, but I still wasn't resolving any names. I had to reset the router and make another network for the computer to recognize. This one will likely lose connection in some few hours also. I tried calling the ISP, but as I don't have the information regarding the account, they couldn't do anything.