DNS server not responding

[Reya]

Hi, all 

(On my phone right now so pls excuse any typos.)

I've tried to do some work inside my PC (don't even ask; bloody Dell and their &@%?! hardware/cases). Got everything plugged back in, etc. but am now getting DNS problems. Have flushed DNS, power-cycled router, but I can't even connect to the router to troubleshoot.

Crazy thing is my phone IS connected to the router and working just fine. Have opened PC case & double-checked but I haven't forgotten any cables.

Why can my phone connect to the router but the PC can't?

[Reya]

Adding: according to my TBBQM I have connectivity (the green average latency bar is there) but the PC is telling me I have no internet access.

[Steve]

Sorry not a Windows user but it sounds like the rest of your network is ok. Either you have a hardware or software Network related issue with the PC. Do you have an alternative Ethernet port to try? Try disabling the Ethernet port and then enabling. 

[Reya]

I've got a huge storm rolling in, so will have to get offline very shortly, but I've just managed to hook my old laptop into the router (wired connection) without any problems, so it's something to do with the PC. I just hope I haven't messed it up by fiddling inside the case. I double-checked every single connector as I took it out, noted down where it went, and made sure I put each connector back. I don't think I accidentally yoinked out anything I shouldn't have, although there is one small white connector that doesn't appear to have a home; I just can't remember if it had a home before. It wasn't one that I pulled out deliberately, and I've scoured the motherboard and everything else, and can't see where it would go even if I had accidentally pulled it out.

Edit: having googled the connectors for that PSU, it looks to be a floppy drive connector, and I don't have a floppy in the case.

I was going to do a factory reset on this PC anyway. Would that help, or might it make things worse (as in: at least now I can still get online using the router setup I already have installed, and if I reset the PC I might not be able to get it re-done).

I'd keep using this laptop, but it's ancient (over 10 years old) and runs like a snail on downers...

[Reya]

Storm seems to have gone away (for now).

OK, for some reason I can connect to the router using http://192.168.0.1 in Internet Explorer on my laptop without any problems. I just can't connect to it at all using the main desktop.

[Simon]

If you go into Device Manager, does it show the network card as working correctly?

[Reya]

Yep. It's a Broadcom Net Link Gigabit Ethernet #2 and its properties show it as 'This device is working properly'.

[Simon]

Just another basic thought, have you rebooted the machine?  I had a similar problem myself a few weeks ago, but it was due to the removal of an antivirus program that messed with my DNS settings.  A DNS flush and a reboot cured it. 

[Rik]

Sometimes, booting it out the window is a good cure.  Which version of Windows are we talking about?

[Steve]

Have you got a LAN IP address from the router or one that's assigned by the machine?

[Glenn]

What details do you get from running a ipconfig/all You should see the ip assigned by the router.

Also, if you are running w7 is both ipv4 & v6 ticked in the network properties? I can't check the exact location as I'm on a tablet at the moment.

[Reya]

Just another basic thought, have you rebooted the machine?  I had a similar problem myself a few weeks ago, but it was due to the removal of an antivirus program that messed with my DNS settings.  A DNS flush and a reboot cured it. 

I've flushed DNS and rebooted it several times. I'm now trying the recommendation of a techie friend, who suggested I uninstall the network adaptor from Device Manager, reboot the system without the router (with the router completely unplugged and switched off), let the system reinstall the adaptor, and then plug the router back in.

Sometimes, booting it out the window is a good cure.  Which version of Windows are we talking about?

Defenestration 101  It's Win 7 Home Premium.

Have you got a LAN IP address from the router or one that's assigned by the machine?

Right now the router's plugged into my laptop, so I can't find out. See my answer to Simon (at the top of this post) as to what I'm about to try. 

What details do you get from running a ipconfig/all You should see the ip assigned by the router.

Also, if you are running w7 is both ipv4 & v6 ticked in the network properties? I can't check the exact location as I'm on a tablet at the moment.

Can't see any IP at the moment, as the router's not plugged into the PC and I've uninstalled the card. About to try rebooting to let it reinstall. Assuming the router would assign the same IP address on the (XP Home) laptop, it's showing on there as:

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.4

It's running Win 7, and when I did look an hour or so ago on the PC, both ipv4 and ipv6 were ticked, yes.

OK, I'm about to try this reboot trick. *sigh* I am never buying from Dell again...

[Reya]

Techie friend's solution didn't work. Back on phone for a bit!

Was going to factory reset this PC anyway, so that's next step.

[Glenn]

untick the v6,run an ipconfig/release, then a /renew. Hopefully it will then pick k up a ip address

[Reya]

untick the v6,run an ipconfig/release, then a /renew. Hopefully it will then pick k up a ip address

OK, was about to restore, but will try that first, thanks!

[Reya]

Nope. Didn't work. Factory reset it is, then. *cracks knuckles*

[Reya]

That did it! I has internets again! 

Ye gods, I've been working on this bloody thing since 10am with only a sandwich and one mug of tea to sustain me. I'm wiped out!

Thanks so much for all your help

[Simon]

I think we've all been there, done that, and got the t-shirt that says it could have been done in 5 minutes! 

[Lance]

Indeed. In my case, the T-shirts used to be a M and now they're an XXL

[Simon]

 

[Rik]

I didn't know you worked with Roman numerals, Lance. You need a new abacus.

[Simon]

I take it you've recently lost an X? 

[andrue]

I think we've all been there, done that, and got the t-shirt that says it could have been done in 5 minutes! 

Oh yes. And although it's nice to be done I hate that drained out, almost shaky feeling you get when you're finished 

My current 'battle' is less serious but continues to bug me. My laptop is set to sleep when the lid closes but go into hibernation after three hours. What bugs me is that about a minute after the machine has woken from hibernation it locks up for half a minute - even the mouse pointer doesn't move - with the hard drive light jammed on. Then normality is returned and off you go. It doesn't do it after restoring from sleep.

I've been trying to use SysInternals to monitor file system activity but unfortunately it often locks before ProcMon is up and running. I did once get a trace that showed Avast doing some kind of scan but I can kick off a manual scan and it doesn't cause a problem. It's one of those 'funnies' that is just not quite annoying enough to have me dedicate a couple of hours to it 

[Simon]

My laptop has a similar, but different annoyance, in that it is set to shut down when I close the lid - but half the time, it doesn't, and after about two or three minutes, I'm still looking at it, waiting for the lights to go out, then I open the lid to find it still merrily up and running.   

[Steve]

On wake from hibernation - the previous state is restored from the HDD so there will be an inevitable delay until that task is performed. Sleep - the previous state is stored in memory so the wake up is much quicker.