Choosing the Best DNS for my PC

Not sure if I've selected the correct sub-forum here, but can anyone possibly help me (able/willing) with this (attached)?

I am not sure what it means - how to interpret it, or what to do with the info...

Thanks in advance,
g...

 

Was this a bad (dumb) question to ask?

 

Hey Glen.

Can you perform another ipconfig /all and post or attach the results? I ask because this line: "192.168.2.1 DNS queries are not being consistently answered." in your attached thumbnail indicates some kind of address conflict exists.

I'm far from a network expert but it looks suspiciously like a default gateway address. Guessing, but looks like more than one device in your LAN is using the "192.168.2.1" address. Hope some one will step in here to help with that.

As far as the DNS Benchmark program goes. From you thumbnail it looks like you just finished building the custom DNS server list. So the next step would be to "Run Benchmark". But I think you need to solve that top line DNS issue first.

 

Hey! Thank you very much for the help here...unfortunately, I pulled an all-niter last night (got about three hours sleep this morning) and am needing to crash now (will need all my faculties to tackle this DNS business), so, I'd like to get back to this thread tomorrow sometime if that is acceptable, please?

Thanks again, and in advance...

 

That's fine. Hopefully some one with a lot more knowledge about networking will step in to help with the conflict I mentioned. I can help with the DNS Benchmark program though, when you're ready.

 

I just googled 192.168.2.1 and got the following:

About.com: 192.168.2.1

Trying to access 192.168.2.1

A post from the second above link suggests using ipconfig /all and
checking the Default Gateway.

Don't know if this will help at all.
Cheers.

 

I've used both of these to find my best DNS connections:

http://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm

http://code.google.com/p/namebench/

 

Ok ... thank you all, but wow, this thread seems to have taken a turn on me here somewhere...it seems like this could get complex.

I do very much wish to get it straight, but I'm not sure I'm up-to (able to) getting TOO deep into it (?).

I'd like to attach the ipconfig/all results, and go from there ... please let me know if it's difficult to read and I will type whatever info is beneficial or in question - thanks!

 

Thumbnail is perfectly legible, I'm just not sure how to go about fixing the indicated error from your first thumbnail. That's why I wanted the ipconfig /all, hoping some one could help once the info from ipconfig /all was available.

Just felt that if responses to the default gateway were erratic then anything you tried to do with the DNS Benchmark program would only yield erroneous results which would make matters worse if you tried to implement the results.

 

Thanks - greatly appreciated...

So, could it be due to me being on a small home network (only 2 desktop machines/PC's) that it makes this more complicated?

 

It's complicated only because you and I are on unfamiliar ground. Me thinks the problem is both computers are using the same "default gateway", so one of them needs to be changed. But not sure which computer or what to do, if anything, about "Autoconfiguration Enabled". Also "Dhcp Enabled" is set to "Yes" for you, while mine is set to "No".

And of course I'm having problems, of all times, connecting to that portion of the Realtek site that may hold a possible solution.

EDIT:
Is it taking an unusually long time for you to connect to sites? If not we(I) may be making a mountain out of a mole hill.

 

Yes, more often than not, I have issues such as long wait to connect to sites (probably 10 maybe 15% of the time it actually "times-out" (takes too long to respond so the ISP gives-up, I suppose?).

 

From my point of view, this is risky, but if you wish to try, here we go. Make sure and take a screen shot of each new dialogue box before you make any changes so you can refer back to them if necessary.

Let's change that "default gateway" from "192.168.2.1" to "192.168.2.2", and change the "Dhcp Enabled" from "Yes" to "No".

To do this:

Hit the "Start" (button), then select
Control Panel > Network Connections
Right click on "Local Area Connection" and select "Properties" from the menu.
Under the "General" tab, left click once on "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)", not the check box, but the phrase to make sure it's highlighted.
Click on the "Properties" button
Click on the "Use the following IP address" radio button.
In the "IP address:" box enter "192.168.2.3" (no quotes)
The "Subnet mask:" box should have "255.255.255.0" (no quotes)
Set the "Default gateway:" box to "192.168.2.2" (no quotes), this used to be "192.168.2.1"

Click on the "Use the following DNS server addresses:" radio button
In the "Preferred DNS server:" box put "156.154.70.22" (no quotes)
In the "Alternate DNS server:" box put "156.154.71.22" (no quotes)

Click on the "Advanced" button
Under the "IP Settings" tab in the "IP addresses" box, make sure the "IP address" is "192.168.2.3" and the "Subnet mask" is "255.255.255.0"

In the "Default gateways" box, under "Gateway" should read "192.168.2.2"(it used to read 192.168.2.1) and under "Metric" should read "Automatic"

The "Automatic metric" box should have a check mark and the "Interface metric:" box should be empty.

Now "Ok" your way out of all the dialogue boxes. Hopefully you're still connected to the internet?

I pulled this from my unit but substituted your addresses.

You might want to hold off for another idea from some one else. They may say "No don't do that, it would be a big mistake", and they may very well be right. But if you take the snap shots of each dialogue box before you make a change then you should be able to at least set everything back to where it is now.

If you decide to do this, please make sure and take your time. If you bump into a problem, blame it on me, reset back to where you were and hopefully some one will come along with the right solution.

 

This is a mistake, because unless theres an actual routing device at 192.168.2.2 setting that as a default gateway is effectivly shutting off his external internet connection. Where do you get the idea that he has two devices with the ip of 192.168.2.1?

 

I'm going to add my 2cents.
Glenn, both the Vista and XP box have the same connectivity issues? Even before Comodo?
From CMD type:
ping 192.168.2.1

This pings your router.
Any packets lost?
I get a Minimum and Max of 1ms pinging mine.

This is all new to me, just realized my vista machine fails on tracert LOL. Oh well!!

Cheers..

 

Agreed. That's why I wanted him to make screen shots before he changed anything, so he could back up. Where did I get the idea?

Post #3 ^
And then

Some guidance and or suggestions would be most welcome.

 

Wow plastidust - I do appreciate someone who is willing to take some risk...live a little on the edge...but I don't know about this one...I'm not so much doubting you as I am my own "knowledge" (LACK thereof) on this.

Again, I do GREATLY appreciate the effort you put forth here, but I think I best read-up some more before I go this deep......

Thank you again - and thanks to Colemanguy for your help here too - hopefully I'll figure (WE'LL figure) this out, because I DO definitely have some issues along these lines (among other places), and I think if it's effecting the main (XP) computer here, it's got to be effecting the networked (Vista) machine too, correct?

 

Tracert allow tho handy, can be dropped if the router is configured to drop those packets. Peeked back at original photo posted, and see the default gateway isn't returning dns correctly, which could be a bug in your router firmware or misconfigured dns addresses in that device. Assuming your not having ip address conflicts as that would also manifest in other ways, windows will even complain if a ip conflict exists on a network. Try to hard set your dns on your computer directly to level3 dns, which is your second line of your screenshot, the 4.2.2.1 & 4.2.2.2 This will send all dns requests directly to there servers, allowing you to see if your isp connection is the issue, or if its dns dropping on your router, or what not.

 

Additionaly, 2 computers and one router on a network would indicate 3 ip addresses in use. So if internet works on either of the two computers at any point, then theres no ip address conflict.

 

Think you're making the right decision Glenn, pay attention to Colemanguy, he knows way more about this than I do.

Colemanguy, appreciate it.

 

Okay, good to know, as the internet does "work" on both machines - simultaneously and individually.

So with that ruled-out, I am afraid I will have to let this go until the morning...I don't have a long day tomorrow (in fact, should be quite short), but I do have an early one ahead - see you then and THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AGAIN! ......