What can be the problem? My site doesn't load only for me!

[fello]

Hi,

Maybe some of you can figure this out.

This happens a LOT of times after I use my own website for like an hour or more. All of a sudden IE says "cannot find server" when I type in my domain. Yet, when I type my IP address it DOES work. I can still see and visit every other site on the net. But when I IM my friends they all say that they DO see my website.

So what can the problem be? MY internet connection (but all other sites are loading)? The server of my site? DNS info?

This is the URL of the error message:

res://C:\WINDOWS\System32\shdoclc.dll/dnserror.htm#http://www.MYSITE.com/

[ann]

Sounds like the problem could be with your browser.

Do you need to get the current updates?

[txbakers]

are you hosting it yourself? If so, are you behind a firewall? If so, you will need to modify you host file, since your DNS name is pointing to an IP outside your firewall.

[sun818]

Its a DNS issue. To bypass it, you can hardcode an IP to the domain name in your hosts file. The locations vary for different operating systems:

Linux/Unix - /etc/hosts
Windows 95/98 - c:\windows\hosts
Windows NT/2000/XP - c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

Example:
127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.1 yourdomain.com <-- add this

[fello]

ann, I have the most updated IE browser. So, it's not the browser.

txbakers, I'm hosting my site at FastServers.net. On my own computer I log on through WinXPs firewall. But when I couldn't connected, I tried to log on without the firewall and it didn't help.

sun818, if it's a DNS issue, how can I fix this that other people shouldn't have the same problem?

[sun818]

Hi fello, I found a Microsoft article on DNS Caching, Network Prioritization, and Security [microsoft.com]. It says, to flush the cache manually by using Ipconfig. At the command prompt, type: ipconfig /flushdns - My guess is the IP associated with your domain is set to expire in one hour. When it expires, the IP is having difficulty associating with the domain name again. Thus your DNS error.

[fello]

>> My guess is the IP associated with your domain is set to expire in one hour. <<

Do you mean the settings on my personal computer, Or the settings on my DNS server?

[sun818]

Sorry, I am not a networking expert - so my knowledge is limited. I suggest isolating the cause by reviewing your Total Time to Live on your computer for a domain by typing at the command prompt:
ipconfig /displaydns

Then call your ISP and ask for help communicating the "symptoms" to the support tech. They could help troubleshoot if it is their DNS servers or your workstation DNS cache.

My other thought was if your web servers are co-located or routed via load balancers, that might be another place to look.

[fello]

>> Then call your ISP and ask for help communicating the "symptoms" to the support tech. They could help troubleshoot if it is their DNS servers or your workstation DNS cache. <<

I called Verizon's Tech Support, and talked to one of those paid less than $5-6 hour tech guys. They said if it's their DNS problem then they would get 100s of calls. Since they did not, it's my website's problem.

>> My other thought was if your web servers are co-located or routed via load balancers, that might be another place to look. <<

This is not the case, since we only have 1 server.

[Natashka]

fello, when you see that "cannot find server", can you access your site via [yoursite.com...] (without www)?
That happened to me before with one of my sites, sometimes I could access my site only via IP or without www, but the problem went away on its own, so maybe it DOES have smth to do with their webserver.

BTW, that site of mine was on a Hong Kong webhost LOL.

[fello]

>> can you access your site via [yoursite.com...] (without www)? <<

Sometimes yes, sometimes not.

[fello]

>> Sun818,

At the command prompt, type: ipconfig /flushdns >>

I did that, but it doesn't help. :(

[sun818]

Sorry to hear that. :( One of those mysteries, I guess.