# What's up with "dm.search.earthlink.net"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-dm-search-earthlink-net/413878>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 31, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-dm-search-earthlink-net/413878 "2007-07-31T21:50:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-dm-search-earthlink-net/413878/1 "2007-07-31T21:50:56Z")

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For some reason, when I’m trying to navigate to some web sites, I see in the status bar that my browser is looking for “[dm.search.earthlink.net](http://dm.search.earthlink.net)…” And, when the load fails, it says that my browser was unable to find “[dm.search.earthlink.net](http://dm.search.earthlink.net)…+the-url-i-was-trying-to-reach.html” What’s going on, here? Is this some weird thing because of my ISP, Comcast?

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**Author:** ![Nightsong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightsong/32/3083_2.png) [@Nightsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightsong)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-dm-search-earthlink-net/413878/2 "2007-08-01T02:13:56Z")

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For awhile, Earthlink instead of giving you a ‘server not found’ error if you tried to go to a non-existant domain would redirect you to a search page. Can’t remember exactly how long they were doing it, but that site your browser is trying to get to looks familiar to me: I think that was the site I would get redirected to. Very annoying, especially when I knew the URL was valid (just that they were having some DNS issues at the time).

Not sure why your browser is trying to connect to it though, since your ISP is Comcast. 😕 Maybe a glitch in their system?

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\<\< Set phaser on wedgie! \>\>

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**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-dm-search-earthlink-net/413878/3 "2007-08-01T05:06:25Z")

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I still almost always get redirected to earthlink’s “helpful” pages when the domain doesn’t exist.

> [@](#):
>
> The web site address you entered could not be found.
> 
> Please try the related content suggestions and paid advertisements below, or try another search.
> 
> You entered [http://mngasdaj.com/](http://mngasdaj.com/).  
> ALSO TRY THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS…

And you’re right, it is a “[dm.search.earthlink.net](http://dm.search.earthlink.net)” page. Comcast must be subcontracting.

Hmm. I just wonder why I was sort-of-getting-it for pages/sites that clearly DO exist.