Sounds like your DNS server is not working as it should for some reason.  Start, Run, cmd.exe, OK to bring up a new black cmd screen.  Type (with an Enter after each line):

 

ipconfig /all

 

(Note the DNS address.  Put that in your next reply.)

 

nslookup microsoft.com

 

(You should get something like this:

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    microsoft.com
Addresses:  207.46.232.182, 207.46.197.32

 

Do you?)

 

exit

 

(CMD window closes.)

 

 

 

Ron

Do

 

nslookup www.microsoft.com

 

Oddly enough it comes back with different answers:

 

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    lb1.www.ms.akadns.net
Addresses:  207.46.192.254, 207.46.193.254, 207.46.19.190, 207.46.19.254
Aliases:  www.microsoft.com, toggle.www.ms.akadns.net
          g.www.ms.akadns.net

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    microsoft.com
Addresses:  207.46.232.182, 207.46.197.32

Also check your hosts file: 

 

 

notepad \windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

 

Delete any lines you find below the line that says

127.0.0.1 localhost

 

Then close and Save.

 

Open IE then put in

 

207.46.192.254

 

instead of www.microsoft.com.  Does that work?

 

Ron

 

Just noticed you said ping and not reach.  Doesn't matter very much if you can't ping them.  Lot's of sites don't respond to pings.

Iipconfig /all gives these two DNS servers:

204.57.114.70 & 204.57.112.2

 

nslookup microsoft.com gives:

 

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    microsoft.com
Addresses:  207.46.232.182, 207.46.197.32

 

But then right now my connection is fine.  I'll try this when it is not.

 

I can ping microsoft.com, but not www.microsoft.com

 

Thanks so far

Morten

I will have to try these things when the connection goes down, I guess, as I see the same as you do now.  My host file only had these two lines:

 

127.0.0.1       localhost
::1             localhost

 

I tried to save it, but it did not allow me (Vista), but I don't think it matters right now.

 

I have placed a call with the "owner" of the DNS server to see if they have any clues.  Are there any global DNS server I can use to see if that sorts problem?

 

Morten

The second line is OK.  It's the new IP version 6 line which isn't really used much yet.

 

Try these from Dell:

 

143.166.83.13

143.166.224.3

 

You can test them this way:

 

nslookup

 

server 143.166.83.13

 

 dell.com

 

(Answer should be similar to this:
Server:  ns5.us.dell.com
Address:  143.166.83.13

Name:    dell.com
Addresses:  143.166.224.244, 143.166.83.38

)