DNS resolver issues - NSLOOKUP works, Ping doesn't

[SteveBentley]

I've got a strange one on a Win 7 Pro machine - it can't connect to any websites by name which obviously points to a DNS issue, and testing further it's all services, not just websites. I've done the usual checks that it's getting the right DNS entries from DHCP, tried an ipconfig /flushcache, disabled IPv6, all the usual things. But it comes down to this:

 

ping fails to resolve

 

tracert fails to resolve

 

nslookup does resolve but doesn't cache it so that a future ping works.

 

tracert resolve and gives the fully qualified hostname

 

No firewall issues or any security software that's unusual to this machine.

 

Does anyone have any ideas?

[SYNACK]

Have you tried reseting the ip stack?

http://www.geeksinphoenix.com/blog/post/2010/12/03/Resetting-your-network-adapter-in-Windows-7.aspx

[ArchersIT]

First thoughts - are you pinging the Fully Qualified name? If not try that. If that works then you should look at the DNS suffix on the network card.

 

Jonathan

[SteveBentley]

Have you tried reseting the ip stack?

http://www.geeksinphoenix.com/blog/post/2010/12/03/Resetting-your-network-adapter-in-Windows-7.aspx

 

Good call, but sadly it hasn't changed anything.

 

@Jonathan

 

Yeah definitely using the FQ name.

 

I've also found that ping -a will return the host name.

[jinnantonnixx]

Have you got WINS configured?

[jinnantonnixx]

Try

nbtstat -c

 

Is anything showing in the cache?

 

Also, have you got a second network card configured to a wrong (or no) DNS server?

[jinnantonnixx]

Another thought - the NSLOOKUP is tuned into the correct DNS server (your internal one)?

[jinnantonnixx]

This is old but I think it's still current. At the very least it's informative.

 

Microsoft TCP IP Host Name Resolution Order

[SteveBentley]

Yep WINS is in use, configured like every other machine (by DHCP)

[Sam_Brown]

We had an issue with the search suffix being deleted from our tcp\ip settings. Or rather an entry being made that erased the default.

 

Do a search for "SearchList" under regedit and see if it exists and if it does what it's been set as.

[nicklec]

Probably this issue: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-7/77224-dns-problem-com-entries.html

 

Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Network -> DNS Client -> “Allow DNS Suffix Appending to Unqualified Multi-Label Name Queries”

 

Win 7 has a different default behaviour compared to XP.

[ricki]

HI

 

I know this will be a daft question but have you tried fixing the ip for tests only and test agiain. Have you tried a different nic and a different network cable and port. I had a switch refuse to work correctly and it had be be rebooted after a surge. Have you tried updating nic driver.

 

My last idea would be if you have several machines of the same type and model move a working os hard drive from a working machine into this same make and model and try that it will tell you if its a hardware problem. If you dont have a similar machine try a linux boot cd and it will tell you if its hardware of software.

 

Richard

[shoeib]

I had the exact same issue on a win7 pro.

I managed to solve the problem after reading the posts made in this topic. It was making me crazy and I was gonna reinstall windows!

 

Not sure what the problem is and what causes it but I solved it by replacing the following registry entries. I replaced them with the entries form another working PC

U can do the same or just use the fix.reg file I attached. Just make sure u change "Hostname" and "NV Hostname" entries with ur PC name. U might also want to take a backup of those registry entires.

fix.zip

 

Here is the regsitry address:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Tcpip\Parameters]

 

Instead of CurrentControlSet u might see ControlSet001 or 002. I replaced those too.

 

 

Hope this helps

[SteveBentley]

Nothing in the cache as reported by nbtstat, and no joy with those local policies. It's all addresses, not just the addresses of servers on the network here - the machine can't resolve google.

 

I've checked nslookup is pointing at the same DNS servers that everything else is and it still manages to resolve names.

 

I think a LiveCD might be a good next port of call

[jinnantonnixx]

Is your machine fully patched and up to date? I had some inexplicable network problems (some scripts just stopped working on machine startup) which were resolved by the updates.

[SteveBentley]

I've tried a Live CD and everything works as expected.

 

@jinnantonnixx - pass - I suspect it's reasonably up to date but as I can't get it online I can't easily find out what updates Windows Update has waiting for it!

[SYNACK]

Just reinstall it, you've probably spent enough time on it now that just reinstalling it is the most efficient course of action.

[stuartp44]

A very strange one, have you gone down to arp. Just check if you can see your router/dns (arp -a) it should display IP - MAC Address.

[japaridze]

Copying registry setting under [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Tcpip\Parameters]

worked for me too, however there is no need to copy adapter and interface settings as they differ from machine to machine.

Not sure which parameter affects this directly, however I've noticed that some of them where absent in PC with problmes...

Edited November 18, 2012 by japaridze

[fencecat42]

I ran into this after a bad Kaspersky update caused my AV to delete my tcpip.sys file. I had to re-install TCP/IP, but after I did, I could not ping friendly names, although nslookup would return the correct records. The strangest thing about this issue is that if you go to Control Panel -> System and look at Computer Name it just says "Not Available." It seems that the system can't even resolve its own name! After fighting for hours, this thread lead me in the right direction. Thanks a ton! Here's what I did:

 

run regedit

 

 

Navigate to HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters

 

Look for three string values: Domain, Hostname, NV Hostname. (All three were missing on my affected system, so just create them if they are not there)

 

Set the Hostname and NV Hostname strings to your PC's name. (You can find you PC's name by opening a command prompt and typing hostname then pressing return. Your correct PC name will be displayed.)

 

Set the Domain string value to the name of your domain. (Usually something like yourdomain.local)

If the PC is not joined to a domain create the string and leave it blank.

 

Close regedit and reboot. Now you should be able to ping friendly names and surf the web/network normally.

 

I have no great insight into exactly what is going on here, but his fix worked like a charm.

[plexer]

2 year old thread.

 

Ben

[beckman]

fencecat42, thank you very much! I have some malware on my Window 7 Home Prem PC and after Kaspersky deleted tcpip.sys I've the same problem. You find right solution! Thank you again.

[sheng]

I ran into this after a bad Kaspersky update caused my AV to delete my tcpip.sys file. I had to re-install TCP/IP, but after I did, I could not ping friendly names, although nslookup would return the correct records. The strangest thing about this issue is that if you go to Control Panel -> System and look at Computer Name it just says "Not Available." It seems that the system can't even resolve its own name! After fighting for hours, this thread lead me in the right direction. Thanks a ton! Here's what I did:

 

run regedit

 

 

Navigate to HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters

 

Look for three string values: Domain, Hostname, NV Hostname. (All three were missing on my affected system, so just create them if they are not there)

 

Set the Hostname and NV Hostname strings to your PC's name. (You can find you PC's name by opening a command prompt and typing hostname then pressing return. Your correct PC name will be displayed.)

 

Set the Domain string value to the name of your domain. (Usually something like yourdomain.local)

If the PC is not joined to a domain create the string and leave it blank.

 

Close regedit and reboot. Now you should be able to ping friendly names and surf the web/network normally.

 

I have no great insight into exactly what is going on here, but his fix worked like a charm.

 

More than 16 hours on this exactly same problem with all the ipconfig commands and winsock reset and other tricks most people mentioned at all the forums.

Only this worked and really saved me at the end of the day.

Many many thanks, fencecat42. Best.