Windows 7 Computer drops internet connection - other devices do not.

clicheispasse

New Member
So I went to my event viewer, and this is what it says whenever it's happened the last couple of times:




Name resolution for the name dns.msftncsi.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded.

The client was unable to validate the following as active DNS server(s) that can service this client. The server(s) may be temporarily unavailable, or may be incorrectly configured. 68.94.156.1


And I went back through older logs of when the same thing would happen, and those two were the ones that popped up the most. However, this also popped up from time to time:




Name resolution for the name www.microsoft.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded.

Name resolution for the name www.australian-charts.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded.


Now, I know my way around a computer, but this internet talk is pure "gibberish" to me, for lack of a better word.


Additional information: The connection to my router is wired, not wireless. My PS3 and my laptop can stay connected/have never dropped a connection, while my desktop does it enough that it's beginning to bother me.


Any idea as to how I can fix this?
 
On most home networks your DNS servers are being sent to your computer and other devices through a protocol called DHCP. This is Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. The basic premise of DHCP is to allow multiple devices to connect to your home network through your router. By using this protocol the following happens:

A local area network Internet Protocol address is assigned to the computer automatically for Network Address Translation (NAT).

Domain Name Servers (DNS) are sent through the local gateway (the router) to your computer.

By using a NAT gateway through your router, you are able to see other computers and devices on your Local Area Network (LAN) network. This is how you can share files from one computer to another. You are also able to retrieve the DNS for things like websites. Just by making it here, that means you were able to pull down the IP address for "windows7forums.com", so in most instances DNS is working.

However, you may be having intermittent DNS outages. Most home routers do not have self-contained DNS servers. Your router is likely pulling down DNS information directly from your ISP. As a result, if your ISP's DNS servers become faulty, you will not be able to resolve hostnames or obtain DNS information for IP addresses.

Here is what you can do to temporarily solve this problem:

Manually set your DNS settings in Windows

In Windows, go to Start -> Search -> View Network Connections

faulty-dns1.png

Locate your "Local Area Connection" and right-click on the icon to navigate to Properties

faulty-dns2.png

Double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)

Retain "Obtain an IP address automatically"
Check off "Use the following DNS server addresses:" and enter:

Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS server: 208.67.222.222

faulty-dns3.png

Explanation: These DNS servers are run publicly, and are generally extremely reliable. They are designed for users who are having difficulty obtaining proper DNS over the Internet. The first preferred DNS server is Google's public DNS server. The second is run by OpenDNS.

The better solution is to log into your router and plug these DNS settings directly into the router. This will ensure that you do not have connectivity issues with your local area network (LAN). That is, if you want to share printers off Windows or connect into other computers using Remote Desktop Connection, or even share music, you may have difficulty by manually inputting these settings. Few routers fully support Windows networking when manual DNS server addresses are entered in Windows. You may be cutting your computer off from the private network, but ensuring that you always have reliable DNS. What I would recommend is getting into your router and applying these same settings in the "DNS" area of the router. It is commonplace for a network technician to diagnose and solve networking issues this way. But it is also difficult for home users. That is why overriding your router's DNS settings in Windows is probably not a bad idea, especially if you keep having connection difficulties.

Ultimately, your ISP is probably running some shoddy DNS servers. This is especially the case if it is happening a lot. Alternatively, it could actually be the network card on your computer, but this is extremely rare. Another possibility is that it is the router itself. But 9/10 times it is the ISP's crappy DNS servers causing mayhem. The best option would be to set Google and OpenDNS as DNS servers in your router and continue to use DHCP assigned DNS. Since every router is different, giving you instructions on how to do that will not be easy. But a quick call to Cisco-Linksys support, D-LINK, or NetGear may help you in that area.

Try these settings: They are proven to work to correct this type of problem.
 
Thank you for the quick reply. As of this writing, I have applied your recommendations to my computer as well as my router.

However, a couple of the things you said caught my attention: this issue only started happening once I built my new computer with windows 7 - my old computer was custom built as well, but was around 3 years old. However, that computer had Vista, and these sorts of problems never happened. Is this a well known issue for with Windows 7?
 
No. This is just a well-known problem in general. It is unlikely to have much to do with Windows 7. Unless of course there are newer drivers that resolve an issue with your network interface card (NIC) for Windows 7. It is not known to happen more often in Windows 7 as it does happen across the board on occasion.

If you've applied the settings in your router, it should be safe to put everything back to "Obtain DNS server address automatically" in Windows. This will ensure that the private Windows network in your home remains accessible.

After doing this, you should try going to Start -> Search -> cmd.exe and type:

ipconfig /all

Scrolling up, you should see something like

Code:
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
...
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
...
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.20(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::223:69ff:feb9:cc51
                                       192.168.1.1
...
   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
                                       8.8.8.8
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

The key here is "DNS Servers". You should be getting the DNS information from the same location as "Default Gateway". In most cases this is 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.0 for home LANs. This means you are pulling down DNS information from the router's assignment. It is the same as doing it in Windows, except all devices on your network will now have the change.
 
I did what you asked - changed the settings back on my computer to automatically obtain the DNS server. However, my ipconfig /all is a little different from what you've described:


Code:
[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 6C-62-6D-3B-59-A7[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::4050:3980:ce6d:4797%11(Preferred)[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.104(Preferred)[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, June 16, 2011 2:24:40 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, June 19, 2011 4:32:32 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 241984109[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-15-25-69-4A-6C-62-6D-3B-59-A7[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 8.8.8.8[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]                                       208.67.222.222[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]                                       68.94.156.1[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled[/FONT]
[FONT=microsoft sans serif]


 
These settings are correct for your configuration.
 
Something really odd just happened after my last post.

I did everything you recommended, and for the past couple of hours, the DSL like on my modem (the one my ISP gave me) kept blinking making it impossible for me to be connected to the internet. And now, for some reason, I am connected again.

Is this normal after changing settings like these, or...?
 
No follow-up? The problem described above has since gone away, but I'm not sure what to make of it. Maybe I need a new modem, since mine is currently 5 years old?
 
Estava com o mesmo problema, e ja havia notado que o erro ocorreu apenas no 7. com sua ajuda o problema esta solucionado! obrigado!
He had the same problem and had already noticed that the error occurred in only 7. with your help the problem is solved! Thank you!
 
Last edited:
I did everything you recommended, and for the past couple of hours, the DSL like on my modem (the one my ISP gave me) kept blinking making it impossible for me to be connected to the internet. And now, for some reason, I am connected again.

No, this is not normal, and suggests further issues with your router at the ISP level. Since it has been a long time since this issue was addressed, it would be interesting to know if you came to a resolution.
 
No, this is not normal, and suggests further issues with your router at the ISP level. Since it has been a long time since this issue was addressed, it would be interesting to know if you came to a resolution.

I was experiencing this exact same issue. All other devices on my network were operating as expected, but my PC was dropping connection constantly. I'd never get any windows network errors, such as the limited connectivity or anything, it would appear normal, but when downloading/uploading files through my browser they would constantly cut out, or if streaming media from my network drive, they would also cut out. Very frustrating!! I even ordered a new network card in hope that would resolve the issue, but I stumbled upon this thread, updated the DNS server on my ipv4 settings and boom! its now working perfectly!!! Literally been taring my hair out all week over this issue. I've been changing cables, routers, updating firmware, my lan drivers, even my BIOS lol. So glad I found this. Thank you so much!
 
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