Probably, it is not necessary to say that many Internet lovers often encounter a situation where when they try to connect or access some resource, the system reports that the DNS server is not responding. What to do? We'll take Windows 8, 7, or 10 as an example, since such a problem arises precisely in these systems. And before dealing with the correction of such a situation, we consider a few theoretical questions.
What is a DNS server and why is it needed?
So what exactly is a DNS server? Speaking, so to speak, in simple human language, this is a means of correctly and conveniently redirecting requests from an IP address to a domain.
In fact, it turns out that when you visit a page on the Internet, the user gets to the server containing it and having its own IP address, not by entering some combination of numbers, but by entering the address in Latin characters. This is the main purpose of this type of server. They are like interpreters of requests.
But what about when the DNS server is not responding? What to do? The 7th, 8th and 10th versions of Windows, as a rule, do not offer automated remedies. Nevertheless, something can be done.
DNS server is not responding. What to do? Possible problems
So what is the matter? Firstly, it is worth paying attention that the problem of the DNS server not responding (what to do with it a bit later) may not depend on the settings of the user computer. Indeed, if such a situation is observed, it may very well be that some problems arose from the provider. Therefore, first you need to call and find out what the real snag is.
However, it also happens that users, either out of ignorance, or by accident, change the basic parameters of the connections themselves. In addition, some programs that require access to the Internet to work correctly can change the configuration spontaneously. The same, by the way, applies to some varieties of viruses.
Alternatively, you can check the system with an anti-virus scanner or even roll back to the previous state of the system when everything worked. But, as practice shows, there is little hope for this, although in some cases it helps.
DNS server is not responding. What to do on Windows 7 and above? System diagnostics
For starters, you should pay attention to the built-in Windows tools for verifying the connectivity (no difference, wired or wireless).
You can see the connection icon in the system tray, and if you right-click on it, a menu will appear in which you can select the troubleshooting section. The launched “Master” will check in several steps, constantly checking whether the problem has disappeared. But, as a rule, such a check, alas, does not give anything. Therefore, you have to act yourself.
Checking DNS client activity
One of the probable reasons when the DNS server is not responding (what to do, now we will analyze), most specialists tend to call not the settings, but the status of the DNS client. We need to check it out.
To do this, either enter the computer administration section through the right-click menu on the icon, or use the services.msc command to directly access the services section. Here you will need to find the appropriate component (DNS client).
Right-click on a menu with a string of properties, where you should pay attention to the set startup type. It must be set to automatic. If the parameters are something else, you just need to change them, after which it is advisable to reboot the system. By the way, the properties of the service can be accessed by the usual double-click on its name.
Alternative configuration
Now let's look at another example of a problem when the DNS server does not respond. What to do? Rostelecom, for example, offers its own values and parameters for setting up access, but most providers use a system for automatically assigning IP addresses, DNS server addresses and setting other parameters. Therefore, when entering the TCP / IPv4 protocol properties section, the user will not see any numbers there.
If manual configuration is nevertheless provided, but the server does not respond, you can apply other parameters. So, for example, to use the Google DNS server, you can register 8888 for the preferred DNS (one digit in each of the four fields), and for the alternative, use 8844 using the same input scheme. In most cases, a system reboot is not required for the parameters to take effect.
Note: in some cases, it may require disabling the use of IPv6, but such situations are extremely rare.
Finally, you can reset the server settings (restart, update the configuration), which requires four commands (without punctuation marks) in the command line running on behalf of the administrator:
- ipconfig / flushdns;
- ipconfig / registerdns;
- ipconfig / release;
- ipconfig / renew.
What other problems could there be?
That's basically, in fact, everything related to the problem that the DNS server is not responding. What to do to correct the situation, I think, is already clear. As for other possible cases of failures, for the most part, this problem can be associated with social networks, which are simply blocked in the offices for workers. Sometimes problems arise with modems (usually they just need to be rebooted). Often, access to the same torrent trackers or sites with dubious or forbidden content is blocked at the level of antiviruses and firewalls (you should check from the settings here). In the end, you can bypass system protection even by using the most primitive anonymous proxy server on the Internet. It might be worth reinstalling the network adapter drivers. In general, there are a lot of options.