A problem has been detected with the dns server responding. What is a DHCP server and how does it differ from DNS? What is a DNS error

If you cannot connect to the network, then try running diagnostics on your device - Windows provides its users with this option. As a result, a window will appear with a list of errors, and one of the most common is called “DNS server is not responding.” If you have such an error, then the cause may be either a problem with the equipment on the provider’s side, or with your network devices that cannot recognize the address. Next, we will tell you in detail what can be done in this situation to restore the network!

Method #1 Reboot devices

If you are connecting via Wi-Fi, you need to reboot the router. Unplug the power supply from the outlet for 5-7 seconds. and insert again. If the network does not see the computer, reboot it too. If this did not help and the DNS server still does not respond, what to do about this problem, we will tell you below step by step:

  • On a PC, hold down +[R] at the same time and type cmd .
  • Write these commands one after the other:
  1. ipconfig /flushdns
  2. ipconfig /registerdns
  3. ipconfig /renew
  4. ipconfig /release

This will help reset the router's cache and reboot it.

Method #2 Changing DNS server settings in connection properties

You need to make sure that these addresses are entered correctly. Here's what you can do when the DNS server is not responding and how to fix the error in Windows 7:

  • Click on the main menu button (Windows icon) and select control panel.
  • Go to "Network and Connections", find the network connections section.
  • In the window, select the active one (the one you are using) and right-click on it, select “Properties”.
  • In the window, find the “Protocol” sections (ip/v4 and ip/v6).
  • Indicate for each one in sequence "Receive... automatically". If this setting is already set, then enter Google addresses.
  1. 8.8.8.8
  2. 8.8.4.4
  • Click OK and reboot.

If the DNS server does not respond in Windows 10, then here is what you can do:

  • Point to the network icon in the tray and right-click.
  • Open the center where networks are managed.

  • Next, look for an active connection and proceed by analogy with the seven.

Method #3 Router settings

We figured out what “DNS server is not responding” is, but what can you do if your PC settings don’t help?

  • Open your browser and go to the modem management web interface. Most often this is the address 198.162.0.1, 198.162.1.1. For Huawei equipment 198.162.100.1. This information, login and password can be found on the back of the device.
  • If the computer settings are configured correctly, but the DNS server does not respond, then you need to specify Google addresses directly for the router. In the interface, find the section related to network or Wi-Fi. In TP-link this is “Network” - “WAN”.
  • In the preferred and alternative address fields write 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
  • Now you need to save the new settings.

Method #4 Start PC service

In some cases, a device or resource displays the error “DNS server is not responding”; why exactly this happens, look in PC services:

  • Call the launch of +[R] directives again and enter services.msc.

  • In the list of services we need a corresponding client.
  • Call up the menu (RMB) and click on properties.
  • Set automatic launch and if the “Run” button is active, click.
  • Save "Ok".

Method #5 The problem is on the providers side

Sometimes the fault lies with the service provider for lack of access, in which case you need to call technical support. For example, here is what Rostelecom subscribers can do if the DNS server does not respond:

  1. Try setting the addresses to 48.193.36 (priority) and 213.158.0.6 (regional).
  2. Call 8 800 302 08 00 if the previous step did not help.

Also, for example, many Beeline subscribers complain that the DNS server does not respond and the Internet does not work - in fact, the reasons lie in high equipment load. Just enter the Google addresses indicated above in the article, but if this does not help, then contact support at 8 800 700-06-11.

It is impossible to imagine our existence without access to sources of information that the Internet provides. DNS servers are the connecting link of a network of computers. Unfortunately, sometimes errors occur in their work. In these cases, access to the Internet is limited or non-existent. Therefore, every user will benefit from basic knowledge on the topic.

What is a DNS server and why errors may occur

In simple terms, we can call the DNS server the address book of the Internet. Each computer connected to the network receives an IP address in the form of a digital value similar to this - 127.0.0.1. Each published website has a domain name - http://hostus.ru. The main task of a DNS server is to convert (translate) a domain name into IP addresses and the reverse process.

Video: explanation of how a DNS server works

Unfortunately, sometimes there are glitches in the chain. Errors occur. There can be quite a few reasons, let’s look at the most common ones:

  • no internet connection;
  • incorrect router or modem settings;
  • incorrect firewall settings;
  • The network card driver is critically outdated;
  • computer infection with a virus;
  • work on the provider's DNS server;
  • software errors on the site.

Troubleshooting should begin by checking the simplest settings, and only if unsuccessful, proceed carefully to more complex actions.

Common DNS errors

Let's look at the most common errors that are usually easy to fix on your own. Typically the fix doesn't take too long.

The DNS server is not responding, the DNS server address cannot be found

Probably the most common problem.

This is what the error message looks like in the browser window

When an error appears as a result of an attempt to log in to a certain resource, and the others work fine, most likely problems arise on the site. There is no way to fix anything in this case. Be patient, perhaps after a while everything will work as normal.

DNS errors may appear due to malfunctions in the router. And also the Internet provider may be to blame for their occurrence. Reboot or turn off the router for a while, perhaps this action will clear the error. There are no changes - try connecting the Internet cable to your PC or laptop directly, bypassing the router. If the action does not help, call your provider, the problem is probably on their side.

When all devices are working normally, but the error occurs on one computer, most likely it is due to the malfunction of the device itself. Consideration of such an error is worthy of a separate publication.

Windows can't contact the device or resource

Let's consider this option - the main applications continue to work, the Internet is connected, but the resource we need is unavailable, when accessing the site, a message appears on the screen: “The DNS address of the server cannot be found.”

The browser displays an error message

To find out the causes of the error, run network diagnostics:


Failure message when the system tries to connect to the DNS server

This error can have different causes. Methods for solving the problem are selected accordingly:

  • the antivirus program is not working correctly - try disabling it temporarily or installing another one;
  • DNS may be faulty - Windows client - open Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services tab and restart the DNS client service, turn off and restart the computer.

If all of the above steps are unsuccessful, try resetting the DNS cache. Press Win+R, in the window that appears, type “ipconfig/flushdns”, start the process.

The DNS cache is cleared by running the command “ipconfig/flushdns”

After completing the steps, everything should work fine.

No access to DNS server

Users often encounter a situation where all devices are working normally, payment has been made to the provider, but there is no access to the World Wide Web. The cause of the error is incorrect Internet access settings. Everything can be fixed on your own.

To resolve the error, do the following:


Click "Apply" and "OK".

In a situation where the service is running but there is no network access, the following actions should help:


If everything is done correctly, but there is no positive result, there is a high probability of Windows errors. Try performing a system restore to the last point when everything was working correctly. To do this, go to the Start menu, Control Panel, Recovery. Select a restore point, run the procedure, restart your computer.

If the browser continues to generate an error, the following actions are possible to solve the problem:


Such manipulations will help identify the application that interferes with the normal loading of sites.

Another cause of the error may be outdated network adapter drivers. Find its model. On the manufacturer's website, download new programs and install.

If none of the above helped, then your computer is attacked by a virus, do the following:

  1. Download the healing utility Dr. Web CureIt or another with similar functionality.
  2. Perform a full scan of your computer.
  3. Remove infected files.

There is one more error worth noting. Sometimes when you try to access the Internet, you can see the message: “Unable to resolve the DNS server address.” Most often, the error is associated with repair work on the DNS service that provides network access services. Check your Internet connection by connecting another computer or laptop to it. If the error appears on all devices, contact your provider. In the case where the error is specific to one device, your actions are similar to correcting the “no access to DNS server” error. Your system appears to be sending incorrect queries to the DNS server.

Software errors

These include DNS failures caused by software errors in servers and individual sites.

A temporary DNS error has occurred

This message is caused by DNS problems in Exchange 2013. Microsoft Exchange Server is a messaging and collaboration software product. It is not entirely clear what “Temporary server error” means. Please try again later. PRX 3". At the end there is also PRX 1, PRX 3, PRX 7. Unfortunately, there is no documentation.
There are different ways to solve the problem. If your computer has a built-in network card and an additional external one installed, disable the one that is not in use. To do this you need to do the following:

  • start the PC or reboot if the computer is turned on and when starting the BIOS, press the F12 or Del key;
  • To enter the settings, use the F1, F10 and other keys - if you don’t know which one to choose, read the text “Press... to enter Setup”, where the desired combination will be written;
  • in the parameters, open the section with the word Integrated, where you will need the line On Board LAN or something similar;
  • change the status of the line to Disabled to deactivate it;
  • Don't forget to use the Save and Exit button to save your changes.

BIOS panel, through which changes are made to the hardware configuration

Be careful, if you do not have confidence in your actions, do not experiment with the computer BIOS, it is better to invite a specialist.

When there is only one network card or disabling the second one does not help clear the error, try the following actions:


Failed to resolve DNS domain controller name

A specific error that is rarely encountered by ordinary PC users. Typical for systems included in Windows domain networks running Active Directory. AD represents a set of processes and services that allows you to centrally manage the local network infrastructure. All computers on the network are united into a common domain. An error occurs when trying to introduce a new server to the domain. The system displays the message “Failed to resolve DNS - domain controller name.”
Try the following:


Couldn't load the page because the site wasn't found in DNS

The error mainly relates to the work of webmasters. When registering a new domain, DNS servers do not know its address. Until information about it appears on the DNS servers, the website, mail, and other elements will not work. The DNS server registered for the domain acts as a “herald”, thanks to which the site address will become known to other servers. First, domain information appears on the hosting DNS. If you are the owner of a website, and when you try to open it, the error “the address for the domain of this website was not found on the DNS server” is displayed, contact your hosting administration.

A similar error may occur when transferring a domain to another hosting. In this case, the domain name of the site is the same, but the IP address changes. To solve the problem, you need to contact your hosting administration.

Other common mistakes

In addition to those already discussed, other problems may arise related to the DNS server.

Table: common DNS errors and how to resolve them

Event ID Error message Possible errors and corrective action
408 The DNS server cannot open a socket for the IP address. Make sure this is one of the valid server computer addresses. If the IP address is valid, check to see if another device or program is trying to use the DNS service port (53).
413 The DNS server will send queries to other DNS servers on a port other than the default (TCP port 53). This issue occurs on computers with multiple network adapters (when the DNS server is configured to use only a portion of the available IP addresses). In addition, it may be that responses from remote DNS servers attempt to use a port that the local DNS server is not configured to use, causing problems in replicating zone data across WAN connections (through firewalls). To ensure that the configured port is used for all connections, change the configuration of the IP interfaces so that one of the following conditions is true:
All IP addresses are used.
Only one of the IP addresses is used.
414 The server computer does not have a primary DNS suffix configured. For example, the server name is dns 1 instead of dns1.company.net. This configuration may result in incorrect or failed calls. To fix this issue, connect the DNS server to your domain or provide a fully qualified DNS name that is appropriate for your workgroup.
708 The DNS server did not find any primary or secondary zones. The server starts in cache-only mode and is not authoritative for any of the zones. If creating only a caching DNS server was the main goal, then nothing needs to be done. Otherwise, this message implies that you need to configure zones on the server.
3150 The DNS server wrote the new version of the zone "zonename" to the file filename. The new version can be viewed by going to the tab. This event occurs when the DNS server is configured to act as a root server. If this is not the desired result, you will need to remove the root zone (.) to prevent these messages from appearing.
6527 The zone "zonename" expired before the zone was successfully transferred or updated from the primary server that is the source of the zone. The zone has been disabled. The secondary DNS server has lost its network connection to the primary server, so replication cannot occur.
Solve the network problem.
On the secondary server, delete and recreate the zone with the correct IP address for the same or a new primary server.
The primary server has an incorrect zone configuration in the SOA record. Fix this by using one of the suggested actions.
Make sure that the Refresh Intervals value is less than the Expires After value.
Decrease the Retry Interval value.
Increase the Expires After value.
Add the secondary server to the Notify List.

At first glance, the problems listed in the article seem complex and almost unsolvable. But having carefully understood the topic, everything can be corrected on your own. This will require patience and time. But the main thing you need is desire.

Sometimes users need to independently install and configure a DNS server on the Windows 7 operating system. It can be used for work purposes, to create your own website, or for any other reasons. Windows 7 is a graphical operating system (unlike Linux), the interface of which is intuitive, and setting up a DNS server is not difficult even for a person who does not have special skills. Similarly, you can fix errors with your own hands when the DNS does not respond, is inaccessible, or is not detected.

What is a DNS server and what is it for?

DNS is nothing more than Domain Name System. As the name suggests, it is a server that issues domain names to IP addresses on the Internet. All sites have their own IP, in other words, a set of numbers that allows a computer to access Internet resources (for example, 192.168.11.231). But when you change providers, the address changes, so how can users find out where their web portal is now located? This is why you need a DNS server; it gives human-readable names instead of IP and allows you to reach the desired address without knowing the set of numbers.

So, one day you decided that you need a domain name for your email, personal website or FTP server. You will need to install and configure a DNS server so that your host can be found without having to remember a complex set of numbers.

Where to find and how to enable DNS on Windows 7

The user on whose behalf all the following operations will be performed must have computer administrator rights.

  1. In the Start menu, the first thing you will need to do is go to Control Panel.

    Select "Control Panel"

  2. If the control panel has an abbreviated view, then in the “Network and Internet” section, pay attention to “View network status and tasks”. If you have all Control Panel items displayed in a single list by default, use Network and Sharing Center.

    Select "View network status and tasks"

  3. In the “View active networks” section, find the connection through which you have access to the Internet (the one after “Connection”) and click on it.

    Select connection for

  4. A new window will open in front of you, displaying all the settings for the selected connection. Click the Properties button.

    Click the Properties button

  5. Among the marked components that are used by the connection, find “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” or “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” and click on the “Properties” button.

    Select Properties for the appropriate protocol

  6. Activate the “Use the following DNS server addresses” item and enter the address of your server in the text field and an additional one if the first one is inactive.

    Enter the address of your server and alternative

  7. After this, don’t forget to click “Ok” to save your changes.

When there is a need to change

Usually everyone uses their ISP's DNS server, but it doesn't always provide good download speeds. In addition, such mechanisms often cannot cope with the load and “crash,” thereby limiting your access to the World Wide Web. Free services such as Yandex.DNS or Google Public DNS will help you get around this problem.

These are the two largest companies that can afford high-quality equipment and can cope even with heavy loads. Their servers are located in different parts of our country and the world. Thanks to this, as well as smart distribution of requests, the signal arrives at the nearest available server and pages on the Internet load several times faster than those of the provider. In addition, such services have many other settings: filtering, parental controls, built-in antivirus and custom blacklist.

Due to the introduction of new laws in the Russian Federation, providers are required to block access to some sites. Many people already know ways to bypass this limitation, and one of them is a DNS server. The law did not affect companies providing DNS connection services, which means that they have another advantage over providers.

How to set up or change

At one stage, you entered the server address and an alternative one. This is necessary because domain names from all over the world cannot be stored in one place. When a computer searches DNS for the requested name, it searches several servers in the order that you can specify in the “DNS server addresses in order of use” text box. There may be not only two sets of numbers entered initially, but also several additional ones.

DNS suffixes are needed to form internal networks and subdomain names (for example, subdomain.domain.com). If you only need the server to connect to the Internet, then you can skip this setting and leave it as default. If you use, for example, an internal work network, enter the suffixes of its subdomains in the appropriate field.

The enabled setting “Register the address of this connection in DNS” means that your computer will be registered on the server with its address and device name specified in the settings. You can find out the name of your device in the “Control Panel” in the “System” section. When the “Use connection DNS suffix when registering in DNS” option is enabled, an additional suffix will be added to the name of your computer on the network.

How to change the DNS server: necessary settings on video

In what cases DNS may not respond and what to do

DNS service is disabled

It's possible that DNS on your device simply isn't working. You need to check the system services settings, to do this:


DNS server problem

If all the necessary services are enabled, and the DNS server still does not respond, it means that it is faulty. In this case, it is recommended to change it. To do this, you need to follow the same steps as when connecting the server, but instead of the old address, enter a new one.

How to fix possible DNS server errors: video

What is a DHCP server and how is it different from DNS

While setting up your DNS server, you have often come across the acronym DHCP. What is it and what is it for?

DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. This is a network protocol that automatically gives computers on the network the necessary IP addresses and other settings. For example, a network administrator can specify a range in which hosts should be located. This significantly speeds up setting up a large computer network and allows you to avoid many mistakes.

Unlike DNS, this protocol works exclusively with IP addresses and their settings. Together, these services represent a very powerful service and make the job of system administrators much easier.

A DNS server is needed to store domain names of various IP addresses on the Internet. Its use has many advantages: faster loading, flexible settings, bypassing resource blocking. Getting it to work in the Windows 7 operating system is not at all difficult. And almost any connection problem can be solved by turning on the service or changing the server.

Very often people leave comments on the site, from which I take topics for new articles. Recently, a comment was left on an error post that said the error "The server's DNS address cannot be found." The Internet disappears, sites stop opening, and an error appears in the browser stating that the DNS address could not be found. After which the Internet stops working, not a single site opens.

There is such a problem, and the error itself about problems with DNS is very popular. The solutions for all versions of Windows will be the same. It doesn't matter if you have Windows 7, 8, or ten. And it doesn’t matter in which browser the error appears, and for which site. I will show Windows 10 as an example. Let's try to resolve the error “This page could not be opened” or “Cannot access the site”. Typically, the main error message depends on the browser you are using.

Can't find the server's DNS address: what is it?

Before moving on to the solutions, I want to write a few words about the error itself. DNS is needed to resolve website addresses (which we indicate by letters) to digital addresses. Browsers only understand them. Accordingly, when DNS cannot resolve the address, the browser reports an error that the site cannot be opened and writes that it cannot find the DNS address of the server.

The error itself may look different. It all depends on the browser.

As you can see, in the screenshot above I have an error accessing the site youtube.com. It doesn't matter, the error can happen for any site. For example, for vk.com, facebook.com, google.com, yandex.ua, etc. It all depends on the site you wanted to open.

Determining the cause of the DNS error

There may be several reasons why you encountered this error: your Internet provider, problems with the site, an error on the router, or a failure on your computer. It is not difficult to identify them. Let's go in order:

  • The problem is on the site side. If you see the error “The server's DNS address cannot be found” when you try to access only one site, but other sites open normally, then most likely the problem is on the side of a specific site. You can just wait a little, or try opening the site from another device (via another connection). If it opens, then try to solve the problem on your device.
  • Error with DNS due to Internet provider or router. If you have many devices, and they all fail to open websites and get the same error, then the problem is most likely on the side of the Internet provider, or in the router. To get started, just turn off the router for a minute, turn it on, and check if the error disappears. If not, then connect the Internet directly to your computer (if possible), and try opening sites. If the error persists, contact your Internet provider support.
  • The problem is in the computer (laptop). Most likely it is. In this case, on other devices (if any), everything works fine, the sites open. In this case, try following the tips in this article.

What to do and how to fix the error (using Windows 10 as an example)

Let me remind you that the tips are suitable regardless of what Windows you have installed. I advise you to follow the recommendations in the same order.

Checking the DNS Client service

We need to check if the DNS Client service is running and restart it. To do this, right-click on the "Computer" icon (This PC) and select "Manage". Or press the keyboard shortcut Win+R, and run the command compmgmt.msc.

In the new window, select "Services" and find "DNS Client" in the list. Right-click on the service and select Properties.

Check if the startup status is set to Automatic and click Ok.

Then, right-click on the service again and select "Restart". Restart your computer.

Resetting the DNS cache

If after restarting the service the sites do not open, try resetting the DNS cache. It's very easy to do. Launch Command Prompt. In Windows 10, simply right-click on the Start menu and select “Command Prompt (Admin).” If Windows PowerShell (administrator) is there, launch it. Or we find and launch the command line through the search.

Execute the command ipconfig/flushdns.

Restart your computer and check the result.

Registering an alternative DNS from Google

This method almost always helps. By default, DNS addresses are assigned to us by our Internet service provider. And the problem may lie precisely in them. Therefore, we can register our own static DNS in the properties of our Internet connection on the computer. It's best to use Google's DNS:

They are reliable and work quite quickly. Although, local addresses can process requests faster. But you don’t even have to pay attention to this. A large number of users use DNS addresses from Google. I strongly do not recommend using any other addresses, it can even be dangerous.

Right-click on the Internet connection icon (on the notification panel), and select Network and Sharing Center. Go to the "Change adapter settings" section.

Further attention! Right-click on the connection through which you are connected to the Internet and select "Properties". If your computer is connected via Wi-Fi, then this is a Wireless Network Connection (in Windows 10 - Wireless network). If you just connect via a network cable, then click on “Local Area Connection” (or Ethernet on Windows 10). Also, you may have a high-speed connection, with the name of your provider.

Select the item "IP version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and click the "Properties" button. Next, put the switch next to “Use the following DNS server addresses” and enter the addresses as shown in the screenshot below.

If the error "Cannot find the server's DNS address" persists, restart your computer and try opening the site again.

1 Try temporarily disabling your antivirus. Perhaps the problem with opening sites appears precisely because of it. Better yet, boot your computer in safe mode and try opening sites in your browser. 2 If the problem occurs on all devices connected to the same router, and changing the DNS helped on one of the devices, then you can change the DNS to addresses from Google in the router settings. Then, all devices will automatically use them. On different routers, this process looks different. These parameters always change on the page with settings for connecting to your provider. On TP-Link it looks like this:

If you have a different router and don’t know how to change, then write the model in the comments, I’ll try to tell you.

3 Reset TCP/IP parameters. Open a command prompt as an administrator, and run the following commands:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

Restart your computer and check if it works.

If you have any questions, ask them in the comments. Don’t forget to share new solutions and write about ways that helped you get rid of the error with looking up DNS addresses when surfing the Internet.

DNS (Domain Name System) is an add-on over the TCP/IP Internet protocol that allows you to use familiar site names like www.yandex.ru instead of incomprehensible addresses like 147.15.28.677. This mechanism is implemented both on the provider side (using DNS servers) and on client equipment using special services and operating system services. Also, additional DNS support can be provided by the client’s communication equipment: router, access point or 3G modem. For the average user, a Domain Name System (DNS) problem is like an Internet connection going down because they can't access web pages. Therefore, it is very important to understand what problems may arise in the operation of DNS services and how to quickly resolve them.

Causes of DNS Service Errors

An important element of the Internet infrastructure are domain name servers (DNS). They are the ones who convert the symbolic name of the site into the IP address through which access occurs. As a rule, such servers are part of the hardware and software package of your Internet provider, but there are also alternative sites that can be accessed through the appropriate settings of the network adapter or home router. Since the DNS server is an ordinary computer (or a cluster of computers), it can freeze, be infected with a computer virus, or be attacked by a spam network. Eventually, a power failure may occur at the site and the DNS server will stop working. The result will be the impossibility of normal Internet surfing, since the symbolic names of your sites will not be converted to IP addresses and you will see a message like the following in the Internet browser window:

A message like this indicates a problem with the DNS system.

Checking and changing the DNS server settings in the connection properties, registering an alternative DNS address

The first thing to do when faced with a DNS addressing error is to check the DNS settings both in the network connection properties and in the control panel of your home router. If your ISP's DNS server is down, you can connect to one of the alternative DNS servers and restore your Internet connection. This is not difficult to do.

On operating systems Windows 7, 8, 10

In Windows operating systems, DNS parameters are located in the TCP/IP protocol settings of the network adapter. To check and change them, you need to perform the following manipulations:

  1. Using a command prompt window, open the Network Connections snap-in.

    Open the Network Connections snap-in using the Windows command line

  2. In the network connections window, select the network adapter through which Internet access is organized and open its properties.

    Select the network connection through which Internet access is organized and open its properties

  3. From the list of network adapter properties and services, open the TCP/IP v4 protocol settings.

    The TCP/IP protocol is the basis for connecting to the Internet and DNS parameters are in its settings

  4. DNS settings - two fields at the bottom of the window, for the main and alternative server. If these fields are empty, the operating system will use the DNS server address provided by the provider or registered in the control panel of the home router.

    By default, DNS addresses are obtained automatically; to enter addresses manually, turn on the “use the following DNS server addresses” mode

  5. To use an alternative DNS server, enter its primary and alternate addresses in the appropriate fields of the dialog box. In this case, the popular Google DNS server is used.

    There are both pros and cons to using alternative DNS servers. A huge advantage is the ability to bypass blocking of some sites that were introduced by the provider or system administrator of the enterprise

  6. Click the "OK" button for the changes to take effect.

In the settings of the router (router)

The control panels (web interfaces) of routers look different for different routers, but they are all intuitive and designed for an untrained user. Having learned how to change the DNS server settings on one model of router, it will be easy to do this on others.

In order to access the router's web interface, you need to find out its network address. This can be done using the ipconfig command, calling it from the command line. The “default gateway” item displays the router’s network address. To access the router's web interface, you need to enter this address in your Internet browser.

Using the ipconfig command, you can find out the router's address and access its web panel

Having opened the web interface, we will enter the DNS server addresses into the settings. Let's do this using the example of the settings of a router from the popular TP-Link family.


Scan your system for viruses

For quite some time now, there has been a category of computer viruses that specialize in stealing users’ personal data. One of the tactics used by such “Trojan horses” is to connect a fictitious domain name server to the operating system. This allows attackers to redirect the user, instead of the website of the email program, payment system or electronic wallet, to specially created fake copies, with the help of which passwords, electronic keys and even two-factor authorization parameters are stolen.

If your frequently visited pages do not open the first time, with a long delay or do not open at all, and the banking program website begins to look a little different, there is a reason to stop authorization attempts, disconnect your computer from the Internet and conduct a full system scan using an anti-virus program. programs. Although there are a large number of shareware and free antivirus packages, you can only count on real protection using a commercial “first-tier” antivirus package: Kaspersky, Dr. Web or ESET NOD32.

In addition to the high efficiency of scanning and cleaning your computer from virus debris, these packages contain resident modules for monitoring Internet activity and will be able to nip in the bud the attempts of virus programs to take control of your system.

The NOD32 antivirus package will provide protection against a wide range of viruses in real time

Setting up antivirus and firewall

With rare exceptions, the settings of the antivirus package and firewall (firewall) should not lead to disruption of DNS services. The reason for this can only be changing the settings of the “expert” mode by an inexperienced user. Try disabling your firewall and antivirus protection for a short period of time. If this fixes the problem, reset the antivirus package or firewall settings to the preset “default” settings.

Restoring the built-in Windows Firewall to its original settings will help resolve problems opening some sites

Updating network card drivers

Installing more up-to-date network adapter drivers will help your Internet connection work more efficiently, provide faster access to DNS servers, and eliminate errors that occur when opening web pages.


Automatic updating of network card drivers will only be possible when the Internet connection is working.

Rebooting the computer and router

To “bring to life” the equipment - the network adapter of a computer or laptop, a router, an access point, sometimes it is enough to reboot these devices.

The computer is restarted using standard Windows operating system tools. Just select the shutdown icon from the Start menu and select “restart” from the drop-down list.

Restart your computer using the operating system's Start menu

The router can also be restarted using the corresponding section of the web interface, but a more reliable way is to reboot by power: turn off the device using the switch on the rear panel or by unplugging its power adapter from the socket. Wait 15-20 seconds and then turn the power back on.

If there is no power switch on the back of the router, turn it off by unplugging the AC adapter from the outlet.

Restarting and diagnosing the Windows DNS Client service

Like many other system services, the DNS Client is turned on, turned off and restarted through the standard Administrative Tools applet in the Windows Control Panel:


Clear DNS cache and other network settings via the command line

During active Internet surfing, a significant amount of data about the addresses of visited resources accumulates in the DNS cache. Using a DNS cache by your browser instead of calling a DNS server should improve page opening speed, but in practice the data in the cache may become out of date and the page may no longer be able to be opened. In this case, the DNS cache needs to be cleared, which is easy to do using Windows command line tools.

  1. While holding down the Windows key, press the X key.
  2. Select "Command Prompt (Admin)".
  3. At the command prompt, type “ipconfig /flushdns” and press enter.
  4. Type ipconfig /registerdns and press Enter.
  5. Type ipconfig /release and press Enter.
  6. Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter.
  7. Type netsh winsock reset and press Enter.
  8. Restart your computer.

Nothing helps: what to do

If all your attempts to “reach” the necessary sites have not been successful, the problem is on the side of the Internet provider. In this case, you can only rely on the efficiency of the technical support service and the qualifications of service engineers who will fix problems as quickly as possible. By and large, calling the ISP hotline should be the first thing a user does when web pages stop opening for him.

If having an Internet channel 24 a day, seven days a week is vital for you, it’s a good idea to take care of a backup channel that will cover your needs while the main one is undergoing maintenance. You can implement it by pairing a wireless router with a USB port, where you need to connect a 3G cellular modem. The router settings allow you to connect 3G Internet only when the main channel is unavailable.

A router with a USB port will allow you to organize a backup Internet channel using a 3G cellular modem

The Domain Name System (DNS) mechanism is one of the most important, as it provides that level of transparency and comfort, without which the Internet would remain a closed network for IT specialists and geeks. Fortunately, each type of DNS problem is fairly easy to diagnose and fix, both on the client side and on the provider side. Follow the instructions exactly and your browser will never display the same annoying error window.