Win7 no longer converts url name to dotted quad

[dougmack]

System specs: Win7 64-bit, on Gigabyte P45T-ES2G MOBO, Intel E8400 CPU, 8GB ram, all
latest upgrades.
Thought my router was bad, but it's Windows. win loses the ability to convert a url name into a
dotted quad. If I try to ping my cable server by name, I can't get thru. Likewise, if I try to ping
Google by name or let Firefox connect to Google, it won't, but if I open Firefox and type in the
dotted quad (74.125.226.229) on the send line, it connects fine. Unfortunately, named url links in Firefox don't open either.
I reset everything yesterday by turning off the cable modem, the router, the computers connected to it, and when I turned it all back on, Windows worked normally, but after not turning the computer or anything off overnight, today the problem is back. Just restarting Win7 does not help.
Coincidentally (?) I have recently been seeing a pop-up box on boot that says something like:
"Cloud Backup You have missed a scheduled backup. Backup will start in 17 seconds" and then a progress ribbon starts in the box. I always terminate that, since I don't know what it is. I have tried to find this Cloud Backup program in the "Remove Programs" list, but I can't find it. Have I got a virus, and if so, how do I get rid of it? I have Microsoft Security Essentials and Piriform CCleaner on the machine.
I am accessing this forum from a Linux machine that hasn't ever had a virus. (It's hooked to the same network and works normally--it's only my Windows 7 that's hosed.)
All help gratefully acknowledged. --doug

 

[edwar]

This is a DNS sever problem. Is your PC set to "Obtain DNS server address Automatically"? It is in the Properties of the network card under the Properties of "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)".

Post an IPconfig /all from a command Prompt.

 

[dougmack]

1. I don't know how to find "Obtain DNS server address Automatically"? It is in the Properties of the network card under the Properties of "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" I looked in the Control panel > Internet options, but it's not there. Where is it?

2. I don't know how to save the output of the terminal, and the output of ipconfig is too long
to write it all down by hand. There must be a way. I can do it in Linux easily, but I can't even
highlight the text in Windows. I used to have a book on using the command prompt in Win7, but
I can't find it. (I have downloaded a "complete" list of the commands, but there is no explanation
of any of them, and I don't see one that is helpful, offhand.)

Thanx for your interest. I hope you can help.

--doug

 

[edwar]

Open Control Panel then Network Sharing Center. Click on Change adapter settings. Right click on the Local Area Connection and select Properties. Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and then select the Properties button.

In terminal click on the little icon in the upper left hand corner of the windows and put the cursor over Edit and then Mark and click on Mark. Put the corusor at the beginning of the line you want to start copying from and click and hold then drag down and to the right to select everything. Then hit the enter key, all that will be copied to the clipboard. Paste it Control key+ v key into a replay.

 

[dougmack]

Hi, me again. I solved it. If anyone is still interested, I found out how to copy the terminal output
to a file (copy [command] filename.txt) which produces a file called filename.txt in the
\Windows\system32 directory. make up a name for "filename") I then copied the file to a thumb-drive so I could access this program from my Linux box and post it. However, I could
now post it from Windows. I found the network configuration stuff with the help of an old writeup
I got from Microsoft when some other problem similar to this happened. I had forgotten about it.
Here are the instructions:
Instructions for setting new IP protocol:
Right-snap on computer screen icon at lower right of display, select
"Open Network and Sharing Center"
Select Local Area Connection-snap on it.
Get box "Local Area Connection Status" > Properties > select (TCP/IPv4) >
Properties
Get box, "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties
Select "Use the following IP address:" Input following on top three lines, as
follows:
IP address: 192.168.1.105
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: 192.168.1.1
Now select "Use the following DNS server addresses:" Input the following on the
two lines:
Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS Server: 8.8.4.4
Snap on OK and work your way out.

Thank you all who tuned into this and offered assistance. I don't know why this information
was lost, and if it gets lost again, I will be back!
--doug

 

[dougmack]

Something is getting worse on that machine, and it's in the Windows OS. I have proven that the
hardware works. (See further on.) Tried to install a D-Link 8-port wireless-N router, and Windows
could not find it. Could not even ping it from a terminal. Tried to go back to old router, but that didn't work either. Checked the ip setup as I described before, and this time it is all filled out like it is supposed to be, so that's not the problem, at least not this time. I am strongly suspecting a virus, even tho AVG and MS and CCleaner find nothing.
Proof of hardware:The 8-port router is installed, everything is hooked up. I had to install the
router from another machine on the Ethernet network. I ran a LiveCD of PCLinuxOS 2012.2. Without any help from me, everything worked--the Internet, both printers running off the Ethernet network, and even another printer connected to another Linux machine (this one) by USB. PCLOS found everything by itself and initialized it and it all worked just like it ought to. So there's nothing wrong with the hardware. (I had thought about failing hardware.)
I'm open to suggestions; reinstalling is not an option unless I get REALLY desperate.

Thanx for looking--doug

 

[dougmack]

More information: I mentioned in my first post a "Cloud Backup" pop-up on boot. I wnet to msconfig
and disabled two programs that have backup in their name: NTI BackupNow EZ and EaseUS
Todo Backup Application (both of which were running. The same cloud backup popup still comes up
on boot. I think it's a virus, but I don't know how to get rid of it. I am attaching a screenshot of it
here. Please advise.

--doug