DNS error in Windows Vista
Suddenly one or all of your PC's loose internet connection (Shows as
"limited connection" or "local only" and in Vista, the globe has gone from the
icon with 2 monitors next to the clock)
Vista
Service Pack 1 (SP1)
may well resolve the issue.
In the short term, close down
your computer/laptop and reset your router and/or modem. Restart your computers
(it may take up to 12 minutes to recover.
In simple terms;
When we connect to the internet via an ISP (i.e.: Virgin or BT) each computer is
automatically assigned a unique ID known as an IP Address (i.e.:
192.168.4.100.)
This IP Address is changed every 24 hrs for security purposes unless you
have a fixed IP address which is not recommended.
In Windows Vista, the security settings
monitor for inappropriate activity and sometimes especially if you have multiple
computers connected, they may change
their IP address at different times and occasionally one computer is assigned
the same IP address as the other or if only one PC, it may try to
re-assign the old IP address. For
obvious reasons you shouldn't have two computers with the same IP address on the
same network, (imagine the confusion if each
street had several addresses exactly the same.) Vista spots
this and considers it could be an error or malicious intrusion so stops
any communication from the internet preventing malicious activity from the
outside world. This means that you can still see the other computers on your
network but can't get on the internet and no-one can get into your network from
outside.
Microsoft Article:
DNS error on Vista registering an old IP address when the GUID of a network adapter changes
A client computer that is running
Windows Vista registers an old IP address when the GUID of a network adapter
changes.
When the GUID of a network adapter
changes on a client computer that is running Windows Vista, the computer
registers an old IP address that was associated with the old GUID.
The client computer also registers new
IP addresses that are associated with the new GUID. However, because the client
computer registers old IP addresses, another client computer may try to use the
old IP address. If the old address is not valid, a connection failure may occur.
A supported hotfix is now available
from Microsoft. However, it is intended to correct only the problem that is
described in this article. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this
specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you
are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the
next Windows Vista service pack that contains this hotfix.
