When I wrote about using ipconfig /flushdns to fix intermittent Internet problems, a longtime reader reported he has the problem frequently on his dialup connection. If you find yourself doing this a lot, there’s a more permanent fix.
Go to Start, Run, and type services.msc. Scroll down to DNS Client, right-click, and select Stop. Then right-click and select Properties. Set startup type to Disabled and click OK.
This keeps Windows from caching DNS queries entirely. Normally the caching speeds things up and is a good thing–that’s why all versions since Windows 2000 do it–but if you find yourself running ipconfig /flushdns all the time to keep things working, disabling this service will give you a permanent fix.
To temporarily disable it, you can just stop the service and start it again when finished. If the problem typically occurs at certain parts of the day, that could help provide some relief.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.
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