Windows 7 / Networking

Displaying the Current DNS Addresses

When you use a dynamic IP address, in most cases, you also use dynamic DNS (domain name system) addresses, which are supplied by your Internet service provider (ISP). (The DNS enables computers and servers connected to the Internet to find resources using domain names rather than IP addresses.) When you switch your Windows 7 computer to a static IP address (as shown in the next section), Windows 7 also disables the feature that allows Windows 7 to obtain DNS addresses automatically. In other words, when you specify a static IP address, you must also specify static DNS addresses.

Therefore, before performing the procedure for converting Windows 7 to a static IP address, you need to determine your ISP's current DNS addresses. To find out the current DNS addresses for a network connection, use either of the following methods:

  • In the Network Connections window, click the icon of the connection you want to work with, click the taskbar's View Status of This Connection command (or doubleclick the network connection) to open the connection's Status dialog box. Click Details to open the Network Connection Details dialog box. The current DNS addresses appear as the IPv4 DNS Servers values.
  • Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt to open a command-line window. At the prompt, type ipconfig /all | more and press Enter. Windows 7 displays information about each network connection, including the IP addresses of your ISP's DNS servers.

NOTE Remember that when using MORE, you control the output of the results by either pressing Enter (to scroll through the results one line at a time) or pressing the spacebar (to see the results one screen at a time).

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In this tutorial:

  1. Setting a Small Network
  2. Setting Up a Peer-to-Peer Network
  3. Changing the Computer and Workgroup Name
  4. Connecting to a Wireless Network
  5. Working with Windows 7's Basic Network Tools and Tasks
  6. Accessing the Network and Sharing Center
  7. Setting Up a Homegroup
  8. Activating Homegroup Connections
  9. Creating a Homegroup
  10. Joining a Homegroup
  11. Accessing the Homegroup
  12. Changing Homegroup Settings
  13. Turning Off Homegroup Connections
  14. Viewing Network Computers and Devices
  15. Displaying a Network Map
  16. Viewing Network Status Details
  17. Customizing Your Network
  18. Managing Network Connections
  19. Opening the Network Connections Window
  20. Renaming a Network Connection
  21. Enabling Automatic IP Addressing
  22. Confirming That Windows 7 Is Configured for Dynamic IP Addressing
  23. Displaying the Computer's Current IP Address
  24. Setting Up a Static IP Address
  25. Displaying the Current DNS Addresses
  26. Specifying the Static IP Address
  27. Using a Network Connection to Wake Up a Sleeping Computer
  28. Disabling a Network Connection
  29. Managing Wireless Network Connections
  30. Opening the Manage Wireless Networks Window
  31. Creating an Ad Hoc Wireless Network
  32. Working with Wireless Connection Properties
  33. Modifying Connection Properties
  34. Modifying Security Properties
  35. Renaming Wireless Connections
  36. Reordering Wireless Connections
  37. Creating User-Specific Wireless Connections
  38. Removing Wireless Connections