What you’re seeing
- Web pages fail to load and Windows troubleshooting reports "DNS server not responding".
- Websites load by IP address but not by name.
- Some sites load slowly or not at all while instant messaging apps still work.
- Several computers in the office are affected at the same time.
- The problem began after a router change, a new DNS filter or a server restart.
Common causes
Every environment is different, but these are the causes our engineers find most often:
- The internal DNS server is down, overloaded or its DNS service has stopped.
- Devices are configured with a DNS server address that no longer exists.
- The DNS server's forwarders point to an ISP or public resolver that is unreachable.
- A firewall, web filter or security product is blocking or intercepting DNS traffic.
- The router's built-in DNS proxy has hung or crashed, though the internet line itself is up.
Why it matters
DNS is what turns names into addresses, so when it fails, the internet effectively disappears for staff even though the connection is up. Email, cloud apps, phone systems and payment terminals can all fail at once. In a domain environment, internal DNS problems also break logons and file shares. Because the error message is vague, staff often restart equipment repeatedly, which can make the root cause harder to pin down.
How AskTechGurus fixes it
Skip the trial and error. A certified engineer works on your actual system, finds the root cause, and fixes it properly.
Tell us what’s happening
Submit a ticket in about two minutes. Paste the error, describe what changed, and pick your tier. No charge to submit.
A certified engineer diagnoses it
A vetted, US-based systems engineer claims your ticket, usually within minutes during business hours, and investigates over a secure remote session you can watch and end at any time.
Fixed and verified with you
The engineer resolves the root cause and confirms with you that it’s working. You don’t just get a workaround, and you get a plain-English summary of what was wrong.
Pay only when it’s resolved
Fixed price from $99, invoiced only after you approve the fix. If it isn’t resolved, you don’t pay.
Frequently asked questions
Is our internet down?
Not necessarily. Often the connection itself works but name lookups are failing, which makes it look like everything is down.
Could this be caused by malware?
Some malware tampers with DNS settings, so it is one of the possibilities an engineer considers. In most cases, though, it's a configuration or server issue.