Is Your DNS Dirty – Can You Fix It?
Flush Your Troubles Away
DNS Flush and set Your PC Free
So when did you last flush your DNS cache? Doesn’t that sound like a vaguely delicate question? No, I’m not getting personal here but I’ve just been reminded about a basic element of computer housekeeping that could come in handy. Collectively, people are spending more and more time on the Internet and if you are getting a lot of hold-ups, 404’s and other errors when browsing the web, your computer’s DNS cache may need a good clean! No, people don’t talk about it.
No it’s not rude. So why don’t they talk about it? I don’t know… Some people will tell you this is nonsense but it is very important for your computer security. My computer was all grey and long-in-the-tooth (in PC years, that is) when I learned about flushing the cache.
How old is your PC?
So what’s a PC year, you ask? Well, nearest estimates put a PC year as equivalent to about 13 human years. And so what’s this DNS thingummy anyway? (also see DNS in our glossary)
The DNS cache in question, is not referring to your website if you have a website. It is involved with surfing the net and is stored in your computer’s registry here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DNSCache\.
In order to speed up your requests to sites when online, your operating system stores TCP/IP addresses (see TCP/IP in our glossary). Sometimes errors will be stored and these bad results can interfere with your browser’s operation. If you have had a virus/malware or other attack, your DNS cache can be poisoned (polluted) by the insertion of invalid entries or IP addresses.
Don’t forget to flush!
Clearing (flushing) the DNS cache could add Internet speed and avoid difficulties finding URLs when next you’re online. This isn’t something you need to do all the time but if you have surfed the web for 100 hours, you should consider flushing you DNS for operating speed and security…
It’s pretty simple to flush and configure the DNS cache and only takes a minute also totally harmless to your PC, so worth doing. Just follow these simple steps if your system is Windows based. Mac users can Google the following phrase, “Flush DNS for Mac”.
The Six Simple Steps
1. Go to Start Menu
2. Click Run
3. Type “cmd” and press enter
4. In the command window when the prompt is displayed, type> “ipconfig/flushdns”
5. Press enter
6. The result should read “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.”
If anyone wants to know exactly how the DNS system works and why it’s important, this is a highly technical explanation here, but very accurate.
Please let us know if you think we left anything important out.
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Meet Our Writer: Cari - the Copymoz author also writes content for three other websites. She has been writing on the internet since 2003; an original writer’s voice, engaging, entertaining and motivating the reader. Cari is an alumnus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), San Fernando Valley Community College and William Howard Taft High School. +Cari Mostert