Reply With QuoteA bit more detail about the PC would be helpful:
Laptop or desktop?
If it is a laptop - what is the model?
If it is a desktop - is the wifi integrated or have you fitted it ?
I'd be very grateful if anyone could shed light on the wifi problems I've been experiencing on my PC which is upstairs from the router. I use Plusnet and the fibre speed (15-23 ish) is average - "superfast" not being available where I am.
I had already split the wifi into separate 2.4 and 5 GHz to address previous issues about the signal droppping. I use 2.4 upstairs.
I generally use Chrome as my browser - mainly force of habit but also because it remembers my log in details for sites like TZ!
A few weeks ao, I started having problems loading pages and a message would appear in the bottom left hand corner saying "Resolving host". I can't remember exactly what's happened along the way but I think it would sometimes just sort itself spontaneously or after a reboot.
I think the problem at the time didn't affect Firefox.
Anyway, more recently, I've had these error messages:
DNS_PROBE_STARTED
which appears briefly then:
This site can’t be reached
www.ebay.co.uk’s server IP address could not be found.
Try:
- Checking the proxy, firewall and DNS configuration
- Running Windows Network Diagnostics
DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG
also sometimes
This site can’t be reached
www.ebay.co.uk’s server IP address could not be found.
- Try running Windows Network Diagnostics.
DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN
[Not just eBay, to be clear!]
I Googled solutions which suggested doing things like "ipconfig /flushdns". Also saw Malwarebytes implicated and followed a suggestion repeated in various places to turn off the "Web protection" element.
None of this has provided a reliable or permanent solution.
I was eventually driven to doing a network reset yesterday which seemed to sort it - until today when the problems returned.
Using https://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ just now gave download speed of 16.88 but I click for a new Chrome tab but it takes 15-20 seconds to open the homepage (Google) - or I get a "Page unresponsive" message. Firefox now also struggling.
I am sitting here with my iPhone which has no connection problem so it appears to be just a PC rather than a wifi problem as such.
Any clues or pointers would really be very gratefully received.
A bit more detail about the PC would be helpful:
Laptop or desktop?
If it is a laptop - what is the model?
If it is a desktop - is the wifi integrated or have you fitted it ?
Use the Ookla Speedtest app on your iPhone to measure your internet speed. Much better than web app.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Doesn’t sound like the same problem as yours but couple of times I’ve suddenly had Chrome not loading websites on my pc and turned out there was an update for chrome and after doing the update solved the problem.
Configure your network settings to use the IP addresses 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as your DNS servers.
Go to the Control Panel.
Click Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
Select the connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For example:
To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, right-click the Ethernet interface and select Properties.
To change the settings for a wireless connection, right-click the Wi-Fi interface and select Properties.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Select the Networking tab. Under This connection uses the following items, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and then click Properties.
Click Advanced and select the DNS tab. If there are any DNS server IP addresses listed there, write them down for future reference, and remove them from this window.
Click OK.
Select Use the following DNS server addresses. If there are any IP addresses listed in the Preferred DNS server or Alternate DNS server, write them down for future reference.
Replace those addresses with the IP addresses of the Google DNS servers:
For IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4.
For IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844.
For IPv6-only: you can use Google Public DNS64 instead of the IPv6 addresses in the previous point.
Restart the connection you selected in step 3.
Test that your setup is working correctly; see Test your new settings below.
Repeat the procedure for additional network connections you want to change.
worth a try
I’m a Mac user these days but sounds like there could be a dns resolution issues.
Have you tried a different browser?
Do you have multiple laptops at home? If so is this the only one displaying these issues?
If you have another laptop without issue what happens if you use it in the same location as the troublesome one.
Check if there are any local dns settings applied to the laptop and if so remove them and let the router handle dns
If that gives no joy reboot the router and re-test.
Originally Posted by Alansmithee
Thanks. It's a Dell XPS 8700 desktop i7-4770 3.4Ghz with 32Gb RAM running Windows 10 Home V 1909
The wifi adaptor is integrated/internal but I have a TP-Link Wireless USB adaptor which I will try again. I did try it last week and it didn't seem to help.
Thanks. It was more just to show that the wifi signal appears to be "arriving" to the PC but then something is stopping it being processed, or whatever the correct term is(!), by the browser.
As stated above, change your DNS settings to Google and see if that helps. On Googling Plusnet DNS, there were reports it can be slow.
Just take a note of what the original DNS settings are - JIC - although you can always reset them to be applied automatically after any test.
Wow! Keeping everything crossed but that seems to have done the trick even without a re-boot (which I will try now).
Thank you so much! Can't tell you what a pain it's been these last few weeks.
What I don't understand is why it has been working fine until recently!!
Anyway, thank you again
Thank you. Interestingly, there were no DNS settings visible when I followed the excellent instructions kindly provided by subzeero. I'd certainly never touched them so whether they disappeared causing the issues I have no idea!
Interesting what you say about Plusnet DNS generally.
Fingers crossed that's a permanent fix. I'll re-boot now and see.
Last edited by David_D; 17th April 2020 at 16:20.
that was an issue i had with Plusnet....solved my issue to
Interesting! You mean yours was working and then went off like mine did? Very glad to have functionality back. Still intrigued to know what happened and why.that was an issue i had with Plusnet....solved my issue to
I use Cloudflare, https://www.dnsperf.com/#!dns-providers,Europe, for speed and privacy. You can quickly change dns servers using https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/quick_set_dns.html. We use quickset to switch between Cloudflare and the smartdns provider we need to watch Corrie.
Thanks. I think this whole DNS thing is just a bit too far over my head so I am hoping that the solution that subzeero kindly provided will continue to be effective. I only need a 'reasonable' speed on my desktop. I'm not gaming, or doing anything requiring great speed.
Weirdest thing. My "Resolving host" issue started again yesterday and then some DNS error messages reappeared.
I checked and the settings that subzeero gave me, and which resolved the problem, had been wiped!
I re-input them and all seems good again.
Any idea why would the settings be removed like that?!
Cheers
If the settings on your PC had been changed then that's potentially rather supicious. Some malware will take control of your DNS settings so I'd suggest a thorough scan with a good AV product might be called for.
Blimey, hope not! Any recommendations? I use Malwarebytes "Premium" and Spybot Search & Destroy.
Thanks
EDIT:
https://www.techradar.com/uk/best/best-malware-removal
Malwarebytes scores well for "removal" - but that's a bit after the event!
SpyBot comes 4th in the "protection" ranking.
Some different names here:
https://uk.pcmag.com/antivirus/89795...ftware-of-2019
Last edited by David_D; 22nd April 2020 at 15:19.
To be honest I'm not an expert but one type of software I pay for & avoid freeware is an AV package. I use Kaspersky but Bitdefender is well regarded as well. Many say that the inbuilt Windows Defender is adequate:
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus...february-2020/
I don't know how many PCs you have but I buy a three-device package for about £20 a year but you can get one device covered for £15 (Kaspersky):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kaspersky-I.../dp/B074SPB1FJ
https://www.bitdefender.co.uk/soluti...-security.html
There may be an innocent explaination for your DNS changing but a quick Google hasn't thrown up any suggestions.
Have you had a Windows update recently? I have never been able to prove a connection but have had network settings mysteriously change around the time of an update occurring.
try different browsers
if you still experience the same issues try phone or another pc
try upstairs and downstairs see if there is an issue
changing DNS to google ones is a good idea anyway
get a wifi channel scanner app for your phone and check the interference upstairs - you find you may have to force your wifi channel on a certain less cluttered number to get your wifi to work better
I find i have to do this now and again on my wifi repeater for downstairs - (my main telco stuff is upstairs)
check power saving settings for the wifi card on pc
update drivers
update windows
update browsers
Thanks. I did a Malwarebytes and SpyBot scan and neither turned up any issues. There seem to be so many opinions about the best products!
Interesting idea! Latest seems to have been a "Quality Update" on 15th which is possibly a bit early. The problem re-emerged a couple of days ago rather than last week.
Thanks! There's a bit of work I need to do there. My iPhone has always been OK as I sit next to the PC so I am pretty sure it's a PC issue.
When the problem first started, I think Firefox was OK but then later I wasn't so sure. It's having some time to methodically go through and do checks etc.. And, of course, it all happens when you actually want to be using the PC/internet!
Not being funny - Google "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG" as it seems to be a common problem with Chrome.
worse come to the worst a fresh install of the latest OS may fix it too
also chrome went from being a browser capable of viewing most if not all websites to being a very secure and using latest ssl tls protocols and disabling unsafe ones, and not loading websites with incorrect SSL setups - leading to a lot of websites being non-renderable in chrome
Bizarrely had a recurrence after 2 years problem free. Solution worked - again - so thanks - again - for the assistance!!
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