XP client can't resolve IP of server

[Cuirous Man]

Have a laptop that worked for a few months, now it can't
seem to properly resolve the server name. I can ping the
server IP, and it's IP. Problem is, when I type "ping
server" it is showing the external IP of our server, not
the internal IP as it should.

I've released & renewed IP address, reloaded arp cache.

But it keeps resolving "server" to the outside IP address.

Maybe because it was used outside on the user's home
cable modem, but not sure why.

 

[Ron Lowe]

Have a laptop that worked for a few months, now it can't
seem to properly resolve the server name. I can ping the
server IP, and it's IP. Problem is, when I type "ping
server" it is showing the external IP of our server, not
the internal IP as it should.

I've released & renewed IP address, reloaded arp cache.

But it keeps resolving "server" to the outside IP address.

Maybe because it was used outside on the user's home
cable modem, but not sure why.

Well, it's not an IP adddress release/renew issue, or an ARP issue.
It's a name resolution issue.

Flush the DNS cache by ipconfig /flushdns.
That will flush the cache and reload the hosts file into cache.
Then view the cache by ipconfig /displaydns.

Is the bad entry present?

Now do a ping servername.
Did it ping the right or wrong IP?

If it was the wrong one, then DNS supplied the wrong IP.

Check on ipconfig /all that you are pointing to the correct DNS server.
Are you pointing to an external-facing one by mistake, which serves up the
external IP?
Perhaps you need to be pointing to an internal DNS which will resolve the
name to the internal IP.