DNS problems

[Jim Guthrie]

I have XP Home installed on my PC.

Since Day 1 I have had regular problems with DNS Lookup. Typically,
when the PC is started up, I can get access with no problems, but
after a while I lose access when I attempt to go on line. I've
searched for solutions to the problem and found the recommendation to
set the 'MaxNegativeCacheTtl' value in the Registry to 0 which I have
done, but with no success. Running 'ipconfig /flushdns' does not
have any apparent effect when the problem occurs. At the moment the
only way I can resolve the problem is to reboot Windows which returns
things to normal until it happens again :-)

Jim.

[Chris Holden]

"Jim Guthrie" > wrote in message
...
> I have XP Home installed on my PC.
>
> Since Day 1 I have had regular problems with DNS Lookup. Typically,
> when the PC is started up, I can get access with no problems, but
> after a while I lose access when I attempt to go on line. I've
> searched for solutions to the problem and found the recommendation to
> set the 'MaxNegativeCacheTtl' value in the Registry to 0 which I have
> done, but with no success. Running 'ipconfig /flushdns' does not
> have any apparent effect when the problem occurs. At the moment the
> only way I can resolve the problem is to reboot Windows which returns
> things to normal until it happens again :-)
>
> Jim.

How do you connect to the internet (dial up/DSL/cable)?
Do you get your DNS settings dynamically from your ISP, or is it a fixed,
manual setting?
Chris

[Jim Guthrie]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 20:31:56 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> wrote:

Chris,

>How do you connect to the internet (dial up/DSL/cable)?

Sorry, should have said that - dialup

>Do you get your DNS settings dynamically from your ISP, or is it a fixed,
>manual setting?

Dynamically from the ISP, and the same problem has occured with three
ISPs.

Jim.

[Chris Holden]

"Jim Guthrie" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 20:31:56 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> > wrote:
>
> Chris,
>
> >How do you connect to the internet (dial up/DSL/cable)?
>
> Sorry, should have said that - dialup
>
> >Do you get your DNS settings dynamically from your ISP, or is it a fixed,
> >manual setting?
>
> Dynamically from the ISP, and the same problem has occured with three
> ISPs.
>
> Jim.

Go to the properties of the dial up connection, double click on TCP/IP and
hit the advanced button. Go to the DNS tab. What's selected and what isn't?
In the WINS tab, make sure LMHOSTS is unticked (unless you know damn well
you do use LMHOSTS).
Also, open up a command prompt. Do an ipconfig /all while connected to the
dial up. On the dial up adapter note the DNS server IP address. Can you ping
that IP address?
Chris

[Jim Guthrie]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 21:26:45 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> wrote:

Chris,

>Go to the properties of the dial up connection, double click on TCP/IP and
>hit the advanced button. Go to the DNS tab. What's selected and what isn't?

There are no entries in the DNS Server adresses to select - so nothing
is selected.

>In the WINS tab, make sure LMHOSTS is unticked (unless you know damn well
>you do use LMHOSTS).

LMHOSTS was ticked and is now unticked.

>Also, open up a command prompt. Do an ipconfig /all while connected to the
>dial up. On the dial up adapter note the DNS server IP address. Can you ping
>that IP address?

Got an IP address and Default Gateway - both the same values.
Also got two DNS Server addresses

Pinged all three IP adresses and got responses from all three.

Jim.

[Chris Holden]

"Jim Guthrie" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 21:26:45 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> > wrote:
>
SNIP
>
> LMHOSTS was ticked and is now unticked.
>

Really? Strange.

SNIP

> Got an IP address and Default Gateway - both the same values.
> Also got two DNS Server addresses
>
> Pinged all three IP adresses and got responses from all three.
>
> Jim.

Assuming you are using you Plus.net dialup, the DNS you got from ipconfig
will be one of:

212.159.13.49
212.159.13.50
(Obtained from http://www.plus.net/supportpages.html?a=11)
Yes?

If so, make a duplicate of your Plus.net dialup. Go into the TCP/IP
properties of the duplicate copy and hit advanced. On the DNS tab ADD bothe
the above numbers to the DNS servers list. Ensure that the only selection
below is 'append primary and connection specific DNS suffixes'.

Dial up the duplicate and give it a try. Does it work at all? If it does, is
it stable and keep you resolving names, or does it still seem to lose DNS
after a while?
Chris

[Jim Guthrie]

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 00:03:05 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> wrote:

Chris,

>If so, make a duplicate of your Plus.net dialup. Go into the TCP/IP
>properties of the duplicate copy and hit advanced. On the DNS tab ADD bothe
>the above numbers to the DNS servers list. Ensure that the only selection
>below is 'append primary and connection specific DNS suffixes'.
>
>Dial up the duplicate and give it a try. Does it work at all? If it does, is
>it stable and keep you resolving names, or does it still seem to lose DNS
>after a while?

Done all that and the modified DUN seems to work fine. I'll let you
know if the problem comes back through time. In the previous state,
everything would work well for a period - sometimes half an hour,
sometimes two hours, whatever, and it would happen whether I was
dialing up, or during surfing while online. It also happened on two
other ISP setups and the DUN settings for them were the same automatic
setting.

Thanks for the knowledge so far. It reminds me in some way of the
hoops you had to jump through to access the Internet from Compuserve
many years ago.

Jim.

[Chris Holden]

"Jim Guthrie" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 00:03:05 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> > wrote:
>
> Chris,
>
> >If so, make a duplicate of your Plus.net dialup. Go into the TCP/IP
> >properties of the duplicate copy and hit advanced. On the DNS tab ADD
bothe
> >the above numbers to the DNS servers list. Ensure that the only selection
> >below is 'append primary and connection specific DNS suffixes'.
> >
> >Dial up the duplicate and give it a try. Does it work at all? If it does,
is
> >it stable and keep you resolving names, or does it still seem to lose DNS
> >after a while?
>
> Done all that and the modified DUN seems to work fine. I'll let you
> know if the problem comes back through time. In the previous state,
> everything would work well for a period - sometimes half an hour,
> sometimes two hours, whatever, and it would happen whether I was
> dialing up, or during surfing while online. It also happened on two
> other ISP setups and the DUN settings for them were the same automatic
> setting.
>
> Thanks for the knowledge so far. It reminds me in some way of the
> hoops you had to jump through to access the Internet from Compuserve
> many years ago.
>
> Jim.

Your welcome. Post back if it hasn't fixed it though.
Chris

[Chris Holden]

"Jim Guthrie" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 00:03:05 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> > wrote:
>
> Chris,
>
> >If so, make a duplicate of your Plus.net dialup. Go into the TCP/IP
> >properties of the duplicate copy and hit advanced. On the DNS tab ADD
bothe
> >the above numbers to the DNS servers list. Ensure that the only selection
> >below is 'append primary and connection specific DNS suffixes'.
> >
> >Dial up the duplicate and give it a try. Does it work at all? If it does,
is
> >it stable and keep you resolving names, or does it still seem to lose DNS
> >after a while?
>
> Done all that and the modified DUN seems to work fine. I'll let you
> know if the problem comes back through time. In the previous state,
> everything would work well for a period - sometimes half an hour,
> sometimes two hours, whatever, and it would happen whether I was
> dialing up, or during surfing while online. It also happened on two
> other ISP setups and the DUN settings for them were the same automatic
> setting.
>
> Thanks for the knowledge so far. It reminds me in some way of the
> hoops you had to jump through to access the Internet from Compuserve
> many years ago.
>
> Jim.

I forgot to add to all that, that in the tcp/ip properties of the duplicate,
make sure both the DNS servers are entered (add the one that you used to get
automatically as primary and the other as secondary) and ensure the 'use the
following DNS server addresses' radio button if filled.
Of course, if the duplicate DUN is already working fine, and does not lose
DNS, don't bother under the addage, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Chris

[Jim Guthrie]

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 16:18:02 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> wrote:

Chris,

>I forgot to add to all that, that in the tcp/ip properties of the duplicate,
>make sure both the DNS servers are entered (add the one that you used to get
>automatically as primary and the other as secondary) and ensure the 'use the
>following DNS server addresses' radio button if filled.
>Of course, if the duplicate DUN is already working fine, and does not lose
>DNS, don't bother under the addage, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
>Chris
>
Everything looks to be the way that you state and it seems to have
worked well so far today. I've been online for a fair bit since this
morning and I haven't hit a DNS lookup problem so far. Before, I
would have expected to have had at least one lookup error.

I am assuming that there is some interaction between WinXP's TCP/IP
handling and the automatic allocation at the ISP. The PC at my
business on the same ISP account is running Win98 and gives me no
problems at all. I will be able to check tomorrow if the DUNs are on
automatic DNS settings or not.

Jim.

[Chris Holden]

"Jim Guthrie" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 16:18:02 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> > wrote:
>
>
SNIP
>
> I am assuming that there is some interaction between WinXP's TCP/IP
> handling and the automatic allocation at the ISP. The PC at my
> business on the same ISP account is running Win98 and gives me no
> problems at all. I will be able to check tomorrow if the DUNs are on
> automatic DNS settings or not.
>
> Jim.

I was thinking along the lines that the primary DNS server gets to a point
where it has too much load, and your requests should automatically switch to
the secondary server, but for some reason do not.
Chris

[Chris Holden]

"Chris Holden" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Jim Guthrie" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 16:18:02 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> > > wrote:
> >
> >
> SNIP
> >
> > I am assuming that there is some interaction between WinXP's TCP/IP
> > handling and the automatic allocation at the ISP. The PC at my
> > business on the same ISP account is running Win98 and gives me no
> > problems at all. I will be able to check tomorrow if the DUNs are on
> > automatic DNS settings or not.
> >
> > Jim.
>
> I was thinking along the lines that the primary DNS server gets to a point
> where it has too much load, and your requests should automatically switch
to
> the secondary server, but for some reason do not.
> Chris
>
>
So possibly you are right, it might be an XP problem.... not one I've ever
heard of though.

[Jim Guthrie]

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 19:54:23 -0000, "Chris Holden"
> wrote:

Chris,

>> I was thinking along the lines that the primary DNS server gets to a point
>> where it has too much load, and your requests should automatically switch
>to
>> the secondary server, but for some reason do not.
>> Chris
>>
>>
>So possibly you are right, it might be an XP problem.... not one I've ever
>heard of though.

Just like a bad penny, I'm back :-)

I'm still getting the occasional DNS lookup error, but not as often
as I got before. The funny thing is that when it happens, it looks
as though it is IE6 which is generating the error page without
attempting to access my ISP - if you see what I mean. I.E. there is
no modem activity when I try to access a site and IE shows itself
looking for an error page on its lower information bar. I get the
feeling that the situation is being created within my PC and not due
to any problem at my ISP.

As I said before, I've got rid of the DNS cache by modifying the
registry, and I still try the flushdns application, but that makes
no difference.

Jim.