Finally solved a really annoying DNS issue

[Carpet3]

This has been bugging me for a while but I've only just had time to sit down and solve it, hopefully it'll be handy for somebody else.

 

I recently changed to a Linksys router after my netgear died and since then the local DNS stopped working. I could ping a pc locally using its hostname but nothing else. IP address worked fine. Using the command 'Net View Tower' would show the resources of the pc though.

 

Tried all the usual windows stuff just to be sure but I was pretty certain it was the router that was at fault as each machine was affected the same way.

 

Just had a quick nose now at the config page on the router and on the initial page near the bottom there is an option to specify static DNS addresses, and in the same section there is an option for a WINS server, I changed the WINS server to the IP of the router and voila! everything is working as expected

 

Hope that helps.