Tech+ Mailbag: Getting a “Resolving Host” error? Consider switching to an alternative DNS
Q: About two or three times a day, as I’m changing websites on a browser, the computer stops. My Windows 10 computer shows a message called “Resolving Host” and then hangs on this one command forever. The only way I can get it to stop is to reboot. I’ve talked with Comcast about resetting the modem, and that hasn’t worked. I’ve also learned how to empty the cache for both Chrome and Windows Explorer, and that works for a while, then the “resolving host” issue comes back and I have to reboot. Any help?
— John Godzac Tech+: The hang up is because your internet browser is trying to find the website you typed in. Computers only read numbers — not letters and easyto-remember addresses like apple.com, which are called domain names. So, after you type in the website you want to visit, the computer is checking in with a domain service that translates the letters to numbers. In this case, apple.com’s numerical address, i.e. the IP address, is 17.178.96.59 (go ahead, type that into your browser and see for yourself ). But when that translator is knocked out, you’ll get that “Resolving Host” note. Sometimes, you just get an error because something went wrong with the translator, which is also called the Domain Name System, or DNS.
Remember last October when half of the internet went down? Hackers were sending a flood of requests to Dyn, one of the major DNS hosts in the U.S. Dyn couldn’t translate websites into numbers fast enough, and that’s why it seemed like it was impossible to pull up sites like Twitter, Yelp and Netflix.
The internet wasn’t down. Only Dyn was. And people who figured this out could either type in the numerical address for the site they wanted to go to or find an alternative to Dyn.
You are right to complain to Comcast and clear the browser’s cache.
But if that still doesn’t work, then consider switching to an alternative translator, like OpenDNS (its nameservers are 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220), OpenNIC (a variety of numbers available) or Google’s Public DNS (which uses the very simple 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).
These alternative DNS companies often have a reputation for something. OpenDNS is one of the older ones and it offers some parental controls. OpenNIC promotes itself as the anticensorship service. Google’s DNS is just an alternative provided by the company you often use to search for stuff.
To do this, you’ll need to open your PC’s network connection settings and pull up the properties for “Internet Protocol Version …” and then type in the new DNS number.
OpenDNS offers a step-bystep guide for Windows 10 users at dpo.st/opendnswin10. OpenDNS also has instructions for other versions of Windows, Linux and Apple products.
Macworld magazine has a good step-by-step guide for users of Mac OS, iOS and AirPort Wi-Fi base stations, at dpo.st/macworlddns.