Okay, I’ve searched around for this particular problem, and not had much luck at all; I may just be phrasing my searches wrong.
Here’s the situation. I’ve got DSL service for my computer, and when I’m on a website for awhile, it download pages and files pretty quickly. However, during a web session, the first time I type in a new domain (even the first time it tries to load Google, my homepage), it takes a good fifteen-twenty seconds before it finds the page. This can get pretty annoying: who has fifteen seconds to waste these days?
More importantly, I’m afraid it points to some bigger problem. Is there some issue with my DNS, perhaps? I’ve run AdAware, Spybot, NAV, and Hijack This (going through my HT logs item by item) and found nothing suspicious, but perhaps I’m looking in the wrong place.
Any ideas would be appreciated!
Daniel
Does it do this in multiple browers? If you have Fiefox or Opera installed, try comparing them to Internet Explorer. Does the same thing happen in all of them, or do some browsers work better than others?
Do you have the correct DNS servers specified in your network setup (TCP/IP Properties) and/or your router setup?
mhendo, great question. Same thing happens in Firefox.
gotpasswords, that’s probably a great question too; my answer is…duhhhh…what? How do I check this?
I know only enough to get myself in trouble.
Daniel
Did you just switch providers?
If so, leaving static DNS settings from the old provider active would lead to the behaviour you describe.
DNS servers are supposed to be handed out with DHCP information, but can be hard-coded. Type ‘ipconfig /all’ at a command prompt to see the information your PC is using.
It looks like you’re using a Windows box - in the control panel - network -> Right click your interface, choose properties, select TCP/IP, select properties, and check if DNS is set to automatic or hard coded.
Possibly it needs to be hard coded, but double-check the IP addresses with your ISP if this is the case.
I noticed this problem soon after switching from dialup to DSL and getting a DSL modem; I’ll definitely try those steps. Thanks, Nanoda!
Daniel
I use Cox (cable) internet service and had the same problem a while back after I switched to a router/cable modem combo.
I don’t technically have Static IP although my network’s IP address hasn’t changed in a few years.
In the router setup, there’s a place to enter the static IP address and the DNS servers, but only has the options for DNS servers IF you have static IP.
When I called Cox tech support, they gave me the usual reboot, reset the cable modem and such. Then they tried to tell me that the cable modem wasn’t compatible with their system. This is when I requested a supervisor.
I finally got the supervisor to admit the modem is compatible with their system and they had me run IPCONFIG in all different sorts of ways only to determine that my computer had no DNS server configured.
The Cox person told me that the router was supposed to obtain the DNS server address automatically and had me go into the router configuration.
The router had no DNS server configured anywhere and no way to do so without the static IP.
The tech pretty much refused to give me the DNS server for Cox because (their excuse) if the DNS server name or IP changed, I wouldn’t be able to access the internet.
Then the tech had me type some command in DOS that involved entering the name of the DNS server and it did a resolution as a test. In order to do this, she inadvertantly gave me the super-secret name of their DNS server (oops!).
After we determined that my computer had no problem communicating with the super-secret DNS server, I got her off the phone, went into the XP network configuration where it gives you the option for entering your own DNS servers, punched in the IP for the DNS server and it’s been working just fine ever since.