Unable to Resolve DNS Hosts...

[richardhay]

Ok, I've tried everything, so I hope that someone here has another idea. The problem is that my computer cannot resolve DNS hostnames. I am connected to the Internet through a DSL modem and am running Windows XP Pro. Verizon does not require a username and password to be sent, so basically I just have an ethernet cable between the computer and modem. But, it is more complicated than that...

Everything had been working fine until two days ago. I shut the computer off around midnight after checking my e-mail. Then, the next morning, I turned on the computer and was unable to connect to the Internet.
In the "Network Connections" menu, I can click on "Local Area Network." The status is connected and, under "Support," there is a valid IP address and valid DNS servers. If I click "Repair," the operation completes successfully and I am given a new IP and the same DNS servers.
From the "command" prompt, I can successfully ping an IP address. But, if I try to ping the name (such as

http://www.microsoft.com)

rather than the ip, the operation fails.
I have uninstalled and reinstalled the network card with new drivers. The network card is working properly.
I have also reset the TCP-IP stack using Micrsoft's knowledgebase suggestion: "netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt". The operation compeleted successfully, but I was still unable to conenct.
I also tried the utility "winsockxpfix.exe" to repair the stack. The operation likewise completed successfully, but I still can't connect.
Please, please, please, if you have any suggestions, let me know. I'm really at my wits end on this one!

Thanks and take care...

Richard

 

[gpalmer711]

This is almost certainly Malware. Even if you have existing tools, run the AdAware, SpyBot, ToolBarcop & Cwshredder tools from the FAQ that follows. Make sure you download and update them. Then restart in Safe Mode and run the utilities.

What are Good Virus/Spyware?Update/Firewall Practices? faq779-5240

Greg Palmer
Free Software for Adminstrators

http://www.palmersoft.co.uk

 

[bcastner]

Based on:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811259

How to Recover from Winsock2 corruption

To resolve this issue, delete the corrupted registry keys, and then reinstall of the TCP/IP protocol.

Step 1: Delete the corrupted registry keys

Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
In Registry Editor, locate the following keys, right-click each key, and then click Delete:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2

When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
Note Restart the computer after you delete the Winsock keys. Doing so causes the Windows XP operating system to create new shell entries for those two keys. If you do not restart the computer after you delete the Winsock keys, the next step does not work correctly.

Step 2: Install TCP/IP

Right-click the network connection, and then click Properties.
Click Install.
Click Protocol, and then click Add.
Click Have Disk.
Type C:\Windows\inf, and then click OK.
On the list of available protocols, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click OK.
Restart the computer.

Now if this does not resolve the issue:


Start IE. Tools, Connections tab, lower panel for LAN settings, clear all check boxes.
Reboot.

If still no joy, replace the modem/router or at the least upgrade to the newest firmware.


Bill Castner

 

[powahusr]

Microsoft may not allow there server(s) to be pinged. I tried doing the same on my PC and I could not get any response either, however I can ping other domains by the DNS name.

Did you try pinging other servers by their DNS name?

 

[kiddpete]

This happened to me on a Palm Tungston C. The ISP gave me the IP addresses of the preferred and alternate DNS translators. I have had no problems since then.

 

[richardhay]

Wowm thanks for your quick responses!

1. The system is spyware/adware/virus free. I ran Spybot and Adaware and Norton and the system came up completely clean.

2. I manually deleted the registry keys and reinstalled TCP-IP. I also cleared all the check boxes in the IE Lan connections tab. The modem has the most current firmware.

3. I've pinged several servers. I just used microsoft as an example.

4. I tried switching the DNS servers to others, with no change. The DNS servers are listed by their IP, not hostname.

Any more suggestions? Again, thanks so much for your help!

Richard

 

[bcastner]

Control Panel, Internet Options, Connections, LAN Settings, clear all boxes.

Control Panel, Internet Options, Advanced, untick the box to use third-party browser extensions.

Reboot and test.

 

[buggdogg]

Have you checked your hosts file? I've seen systems come up clean for spyware, yet their hosts file had been hijacked.

You really shouldn't have anything in your hosts file besides 127.0.0.1 localhost listed unless you have specifically added information to the file itself.

That file is usually in the \winnt\system32\drivers\etc folder (or do a search for hosts). It's just called hosts (no file extension) and can be opened and edited using notepad.

Hope this helps. It is a bit of a longshot, but it seems like you've tried a lot of other things without success. Failing that, call Verizon and see if they have any suggestions.