# Wireless Network issue-- problem with DNS



## Cassia (Dec 27, 2006)

Hi there
I just got a laptop a month ago-- a brand new Toshiba with Windows Vista installed on it. The wireless feature is built right in. My two roommates and I use a rather unreliable router with a reliable ISP and everything works fine. This morning my internet worked fine but about an hour after I used it it wouldn't connect. When I clicked on Diagnose and Repair, I got this message:

"There may be a problem with your Domain Name Server (DNS) configuration.

Windows failed to find the well known host "www.microsoft.com" using DNS. The server may be down.


The internet works absolutely fine for both of my roommates, and even when I plugged my laptop directly into the modem I got the same problem. 

Any help on this would be much appreciated!


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Start, Run, CMD to open a command prompt:

Type the following command:

*IPCONFIG /AL*L

Right click in the command window and choose *Select All*, then hit *Enter*.
Paste the results in a message here.

Please post results for your computer and for one of the working ones.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

*TCP/IP stack repair options for use with Windows XP with SP2.*

For these commands, *Start, Run, CMD* to open a command prompt.

Reset WINSOCK entries to installation defaults: *netsh winsock reset catalog*

Reset TCP/IP stack to installation defaults. *netsh int ip reset reset.log*

Reboot the machine.


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## Cassia (Dec 27, 2006)

This is the working laptop stats (my roomie uses XP, I use Vista... I don't know if that makes a difference)
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Mandeep>ipconfig/ALL

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Minu
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : Belkin

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Eth
ernet NIC
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0F-B0-9E-C7-58

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Belkin
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Networ
k Connection
 Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-13-CE-66-86-B4
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.3
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, May 19, 2007 10:57:08 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, May 20, 2007 10:57:08 PM

And here's my laptop stats

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Toki
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : Belkin

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Belkin
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Con
nection
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-19-D2-32-04-C6
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3d29:e5ed:e714:9bcc%9(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : May-19-07 6:20:40 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : May-20-07 6:20:40 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 151001554
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : no-domain-set.aliant
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-A0-D1-68-EA-23
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 6:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 7:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Belkin
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::5efe:192.168.0.2%13(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 9:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 02-00-54-55-4E-01
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 10:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 6TO4 Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

I'm sorry John Will, I'm a complete newbie so I'm not sure how to reset those defaults-- also, is it different between XP and Vista? I'm running Vista.

Thanks so much!!


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Your ipconfig /all looks OK as far as I can tell--essentially the same as the working computer's. I don't know Vista at all, so you'll have to wait for JohnWill or somebody else for your question about the stack repair. Doing the following tests will give some more information that may help diagnose the problem.

To open a Command Window: Start - Run - cmd (command in 98SE) - OK

To determine a computer's IP address and router's IP address: open a Command Window and type
ipconfig /all

The "Gateway" is the router's IP address.

Now for some troubleshooting. Following is how to use ping to test for communication with your router, the internet, and the internet with symbolic name.

1. On the PC open a Command window and type
ping IProuter (where IProuter is the IP address of the router)

Do you get Replies, or do you get packets lost?

IF you got replies,
2. ping 66.94.234.13 (or any other internet address you know)

Do you get Replies, or do you get packets lost?

If you got replies,
3. ping www.yahoo.com (or any other internet name)

Do you get Replies, or do you get packets lost?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Here's some info in the Vista TCP/IP stack and repairs: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/aa905086.aspx


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## Cassia (Dec 27, 2006)

Sorry for the long wait in between replies, my roommates are both out of town and brought their laptops with them so I only get internet at work...

Anyway, I tried the packets thing. The Router IP (test #1) worked fine, I got replies. The IP that you wrote down (test#2) lost half of the packets. When I pinged yahoo.com and a couple other well known sites, I couldn't connect.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

I'm a bit lost, and not just because I don't know Vista.

Go to the Toshiba web site and see if they have an updated driver for the Intel wireless adapter.

Given that you said the router is rather unreliable, and because some people have used this to work around DNS problems, set the DNS server(s) to whatever the router's WAN is set to. I personally don't like this, but it has worked for people. To get the address(es) will require logging in to the router.

Did you get anything useful out of that link JohnWill provided?


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## Cassia (Dec 27, 2006)

I haven't had a chance to take a look at John Will's article because I can't print it out-- it seems rather long and I know that during the trek from work to home I'd forget all of it. I'll see if I can get my laptop to work somehow, I work in a dodgier area and wouldn't want it to get stolen.

As for the Toshiba website I'll check that out but the thing is that my wireless internet was working fine for the first month and a half that I had it-- it just spontaneously shut itself down one day, WHILE I was on the internet. :/


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## Cassia (Dec 27, 2006)

Sorry, this stupid computer won't let me go back and edit my posts (it's a mac). I meant to ask before I hit reply, how do I change the DNS server and why is it not a good thing to do?


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

I gave you a mis-impression. There is nothing wrong with changing the DNS, it just annoys me that this seemingly unnecessary change is the only thing that we know how to do sometimes.

These instructions are for XP; I hope Vista is similar enough for you to be able to translate. In Network Connections right click on your connection - Properties - Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) - Properties - General tab - keep the top part at 'obtain IP auto' but set the specific DNS server address(es) in the bottom part


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