How to Clean DSN Cache?

[Joseph Carrier]

My desktop's file-sharing connection with two laptops recently stopped
spontaneously, though It still works on the two laptops. All three run Win
XP SP2 (Home) and connect directly to the Internet through an ADSL modem
and router.

I successfully 'repaired' the "Lan or High-Speed Internet Connection" on
the two laptops but the repair process on the desktop ends with an error
message:

<<Windows could not finish repairing the problem because the following
action cannot be completed:
Cleaning the DNS cache
For assistance, contact the person who manages your network.>>

I'm the network manager, but have no idea what "DNS" stands for, to say
nothing of how to clean its cache.

Could someone please explain what is a DNS cache and guide me though the
process successfully repairing my desktop's LAN connection?

Thanks.

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

In

My desktop's file-sharing connection with two laptops recently stopped
spontaneously, though It still works on the two laptops. All three
run Win XP SP2 (Home) and connect directly to the Internet through
an ADSL modem and router.

I successfully 'repaired' the "Lan or High-Speed Internet
Connection" on the two laptops but the repair process on the desktop
ends with an error message:

<<Windows could not finish repairing the problem because the following
action cannot be completed:
Cleaning the DNS cache
For assistance, contact the person who manages your network.>>

I'm the network manager, but have no idea what "DNS" stands for, to
say nothing of how to clean its cache.

Could someone please explain what is a DNS cache and guide me though
the process successfully repairing my desktop's LAN connection?

Thanks.

DNS = Domain Name System (or services). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS
for more info.

Try typing the following into a command prompt:
ipconfig /flushdns <enter>

 

[Joseph Carrier]

Thanks for your reply.

I tried using the command "ipconfig /flushdns" and got the response:"Cannot
flush the DNS Resolver Cache:Function failed during execution."

(I apologize for the length of the following, but I'm really desperate for
help in understanding what's going on, and you sound infinitely more
computer literate than I am.)

I looked at the ipconfig of my traveling laptop and my desktop. The latter
has significantly more things in it than the laptop and I've no idea where
all these things came from.

On my Laptop, the ipconfig shows only two general headings, shown below with
their contents:

1. Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Media State: Media Disconnected

2. Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

IP Address: 192. etc.
Subnet Mask: 255.255. etc.
Default Gateway. 192. etc.

But, the ipconfig on the desktop has three general headings with many sub
entries, as follows:

1. Ethernet adapter connection1:
IP Address: 192. . . etc.
Subnet Mask: 255. . . etc.
IP Address: a very long sequence beginning with: fe80::5 . . . etc.
[why a second IP Address here?]
Default Gateway: 192 . . . etc.

2. Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix: [no value shown]
IP Address: a very long sequence beginning with: fe80::5 . . . etc
[differs from the one above]
Default Gateway: [no value shown]

3. Tunnel adapter Automatic Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix: [no value shown]
IP Address: a very long sequence beginning with: fe80::5 . . . etc
[differs from the two above]
Default Gateway: [no value shown]

I'm not very computer literate. Where could all that of that extra stuff in
the desktop IP configuration have come from? Has my desktop IP
configuration been invaded? If so, how can I clean it up?

Your reply prompted me also to try pinging the two computers from each
other. The results were:
successful pinging of desktop from laptop; failed pinging of laptop from
desktop.

I would greatly appreciate your comments and advice:



"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

 

[Lem]

Assuming that you don't use your computer to connect to a VPN (virtual private
network) at your office (you said, "I'm the network manager" so you're probably
not dealing with a sophisticated business IT department), you almost certainly
don't need Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and you should uninstall it. See
http://tinyurl.com/bhv95
Also see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;555059

Thanks for your reply.

I tried using the command "ipconfig /flushdns" and got the response:"Cannot
flush the DNS Resolver Cache:Function failed during execution."

(I apologize for the length of the following, but I'm really desperate for
help in understanding what's going on, and you sound infinitely more
computer literate than I am.)

I looked at the ipconfig of my traveling laptop and my desktop. The latter
has significantly more things in it than the laptop and I've no idea where
all these things came from.

On my Laptop, the ipconfig shows only two general headings, shown below with
their contents:

1. Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Media State: Media Disconnected

2. Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

IP Address: 192. etc.
Subnet Mask: 255.255. etc.
Default Gateway. 192. etc.

But, the ipconfig on the desktop has three general headings with many sub
entries, as follows:

1. Ethernet adapter connection1:
IP Address: 192. . . etc.
Subnet Mask: 255. . . etc.
IP Address: a very long sequence beginning with: fe80::5 . . . etc.
[why a second IP Address here?]
Default Gateway: 192 . . . etc.

2. Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix: [no value shown]
IP Address: a very long sequence beginning with: fe80::5 . . . etc
[differs from the one above]
Default Gateway: [no value shown]

3. Tunnel adapter Automatic Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix: [no value shown]
IP Address: a very long sequence beginning with: fe80::5 . . . etc
[differs from the two above]
Default Gateway: [no value shown]

I'm not very computer literate. Where could all that of that extra stuff in
the desktop IP configuration have come from? Has my desktop IP
configuration been invaded? If so, how can I clean it up?

Your reply prompted me also to try pinging the two computers from each
other. The results were:
successful pinging of desktop from laptop; failed pinging of laptop from
desktop.

I would greatly appreciate your comments and advice:

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

In

DNS = Domain Name System (or services). See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS for more info.

Try typing the following into a command prompt:
ipconfig /flushdns <enter>