Troubleshooting LMHOSTS Name Resolution Issues

View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q180099

Expand all | Collapse all

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to load the contents of an Lmhosts file into the NetBIOS Remote Cache Name Table using the Nbtstat -R command, you may notice that the entries are not loading. You can view this by using the Nbtstat -c command.

Back to the top

CAUSE

The Lmhosts file is very specific in its required syntax and may be incorrectly formatted.

Back to the top

RESOLUTION

To troubleshoot this issue, use the following:

Open the Lmhosts file in a text editor, such as Notepad.exe or Edit.com, and place three or four carriage returns at the bottom of the file.

NOTE: If you are using Notepad.exe, then make certain that you do not save the file using Unicode.
Make sure the Lmhosts lookup is enabled by performing the following steps:
1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Networks, on the Protocols tab, and double-click TCP/IP Protocol.
3. On the WINS Address tab and click the Enable LMHOSTS Lookup to enable it.
  
  NOTE: You need to restart your computer for this change to take effect.
Verify that your Lmhosts file is in the proper folder and has no file extension. For more information, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge base:
180094 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/180094/EN-US/ ) How to Write an LMHOSTS File for Domain Validation