A single Windows device in a network fails to start only two web pages.
A single Windows device in a network fails to start only two web pages.
Hey everyone! Here’s a fresh take on my recent networking adventure—especially if you're into Windows troubleshooting. I recently swapped out my old ISP router for an OpenNMS firewall, a Ubiquiti AP, and a Pi.hole. What used to deliver just 3-4 Mbps now tops out around 45 Mbps. The improvement came with some unexpected hiccups: a Windows machine suddenly couldn’t load certain sites—like a government portal and a work schedule page. It gave a clear DNS error right away, similar to what Pihole would show. The device still works fine for normal tasks, but that one machine was a bit of a puzzle.
I’ve tried everything: running ipconfig commands, refreshing the DHCP, resetting drivers, disabling and re-enabling the network, changing security settings, and even flushing the DNS cache. I even gave it a static IP and double-checked the firewall logs. The Pi.hole itself didn’t block anything obvious, though I’m still curious about that.
My next move is to reimage the whole setup—preferably if I can avoid it. But I’m eager to learn more about these fixes and share what I discover. Thanks for your support! Don’t forget to have a great day!
Review the hosts file, it seems it was intentionally blocked there.
Clear the DNS cache and restart network configurations. Launch an elevated Command Prompt as Administrator. Enter the following commands sequentially and press Enter after each: ipconfig /flushdns nbtstat -R nbtstat -RR netsh int reset all netsh int ip reset netsh winsock reset Reboot your machine and test again. Confirm DNS settings: ensure the Windows machine uses the correct Pi.hole IP address and there are no conflicting entries. If problems persist, consider a full reinstall as a potential solution. Sometimes unexpected fixes work surprisingly well. Good luck!
It seems these gadgets all run Bitdefender Home without issues. I turned off everything in Bitdefender during testing and still got nothing. It logs when a blocked site appears but doesn’t actually show up, suggesting it’s either within the network or on the device itself. The immediate crash to “can’t load” indicates it’s likely local rather than internet routing problems. Bitdefender probably consults cloud services before deciding what to block. I’ve noticed similar behavior with self-signed devices like my NAS—Bitdefender usually throws a warning. Thanks for the info! I’ll try this again tomorrow, either during the day or after work, and let you know how it goes. Appreciate your help! (Edit: minor grammar adjustments.)
I finally tried executing the commands. The main issue was the netsh command didn't locate anything, so I used netsh int ip reset all instead. After running the steps, rebooting helped, but manually setting the DNS in Control Panel still didn’t work. It seems a reimage or restoring from a backup might be necessary. Thanks for your support!
The Pihole is currently addressing the inquiries. This update comes from today’s testing.