Sometimes it can happen, when you open your web browser to connect to a website, you get an error message that says: " DNS is not responding ". This means that the computer cannot contact the DNS server address, one of the main network configuration parameters.
The meaning of DNS, as already explained on several occasions, is, in a nutshell, the following: a website like www.navigaweb.net resides on a web server, that is, a computer that can be anywhere in the world.
However, this computer is not recognized on the network with the site address, but with an IP address such as 12.23.34.45 .
In theory, to connect to this site from my computer, I would have to type in his IP address which is however difficult to remember.
For which there is a DNS server, another computer that contains the table of associations between IP addresses and names.
When writing on Chrome www.google.it, the computer first asks the DNS server which IP address corresponds to www.google.it, and then loads it.
If these DNS servers do not respond because they are not online or due to network problems, then the browser does not know which IP address to connect to in order to load the requested site.
READ ALSO: Correct the Dns_Probe_Finished_No_Internet error in Chrome
Most of the time, when the error appears on the DNS, there is an internet connection problem on the operator's network and all you can do is call the call center service to ask to solve it.
In the meantime, however, we can see if the problem with DNS can be solved from home, by making some checks and changing some configuration .
1) Checking the connection
First of all, connect to the network with another computer or even with your smartphone to see if the internet works.
If so, the problem is on the computer where the DNS server is poorly configured (go straight to step 2 of this guide).
1.1) If, on the other hand, you still have a problem with a DNS server that is not responding, then the problem could be on the router (even if it is almost certainly on the telephone line and we cannot do anything).
You can then immediately try what the first call center operator would tell us to do: turn off both the modem and the router, disconnect the modem power cable and the router power cable, leave them off for at least 30 seconds so that all remaining charge is released and the memory is cleared.
Reconnect the plugs and turn on the modem only (as long as the router and modem do not match).
After it is fully powered on, reconnect the power cord to the router and turn it on.
If the problem persists, let's see if there is something wrong with the computer.
2) Troubleshooting computer problems
First, try a different browser and see if the site loads or not.
For example, you used Chrome, try Internet Explorer or Firefox.
In case they work, there may be a proxy set that prevents the connection or some extension that is hijacking it.
I therefore refer to the guide to protect the browser from "Hijacker" malware that redirect the connection and to the guide to reset the Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers.
If the problems persist, the problem is not with the browser, but with some other setting on the computer.
2.1) Then try to disable all the extra connections .
To open the Network Connections window, click on the Start menu or press the Windows key to search or execute the ncpa.cpl command.
Leave the connection active and, on all the others present, right click on it and use the disable option.
The problem on the DNS server can be caused by the " Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter " network.
2.2) Another automatic operation to do is to empty the DNS cache .
To do this, open the command prompt by pressing the Windows-R keys and running the cmd command or, on Windows 8, click with the right mouse button on the lower left corner and open the prompt as administrator.
Then type the command ipconfig / flushdns, wait for it to finish and then restart the computer.
If the problem persists, go to the next step.
2.3) Change DNS server
The DNS server, if nothing has been touched, is automatically assigned by the network operator or by Telecom, Fastweb etc.
However, you can manually enter an alternate DNS server and see if that works.
We have already seen how to change DNS on PC, Mac and router quickly : open the network connections window by searching or running ncpa.cpl, right click on the active connection, go to Properties, on the Network tab scroll down until you find the " Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP / IPv4) ", select it and click on the Properties button.
Click on the option " Use the following DNS server addresses " and enter the numbers of the Google DNS servers or those of Open DNS:
- 208.67.222.222 in the "Preferred DNS server" field
- 208.67.220.220 in the "Alternative DNS server" field.
2.4) Try to restore the network following the relative guide.
2.5) Try to connect to the internet in safe mode .
Restart your computer in safe mode to load only the essential files for Windows and check that there is no program or service that prevents you from connecting to websites.
3) Troubleshooting the router
If the problems persist and the DNS is still not responding, always remembering that there is almost certainly a general problem, you can check that the router is all right.
If the modem and router are separate devices, try connecting the computer directly to the modem with an ethernet cable and see if it works.
If it doesn't work, we are almost sure that it is our network provider's fault.
In this case, the last test to do is to connect the modem to a different telephone socket at home.
3.1) If the problem is on the router, instead, it is worth changing the DNS servers to the router settings, using those mentioned in point 2.3.
Enter the router settings and look for the section where to manually set the DNS servers (the menus change according to the model but the Internet section is always there).
Apply the changes and see if it works.
3.2) Resetting the router is the last resort, a good option to try before giving up.
To reset the router, you can press the very small button on the back with the tip of a pen.
Keep in mind that any administrator password and any wifi networks will be reset.
