Vista can't find DNS server?

Question

My copy of Windows Vista (installed on my iMac, using Boot Camp) is having trouble connecting to the internet. It works now and then, but sometimes it says it's connected as "Local Only". When I diagnose the problem, it says it "Can't Find DNS Server". Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Answer 1

You can test if the isp dns server are up and running by using the opendns servers if they work it would be my guess that your isp is having problems with there dns server. If this doesn't solve the problem you might have a problem with the driver for the network card or if you run a router you may need to rest it.

http://www.opendns.com/

Good Luck I hope this helps you out.

If other computers on your network are running fine i would recommend trying to reinstall the driver for that network card, you can also try and flush the dns cache or manually set your dns server to your isp to see if it is just having trouble getting the dns info.

flushdns: windows key + r > cmd > ipconfig /flushdns

release IP: windows key + r > cmd > ipconfig /release

renew IP: windows key + r > cmd > ipconfig /renew

when you use these command watch for any error that may help you solve the problem.

You might also want to flush the dns on one of your other computer they may still be working on cached dns info.

The other thing I would try is if it is a wired connection replace the wire with a new one if it is a wireless connection if there is a wired connection on it try that. If it does it with both network interfaces it is more then likely a problem with the windows install.

If you have exp with a packet sniffer like wireshark you could give that a download and run it on that vista machine and have a look at the packets it is getting would give you a little more incite into what is happening on a packet level.

Answer 2

Call your ISP and ask for a DNS numbers (primary and secondary) for you to be able to force the DNS.