When you try to perform the network test on the Test Xbox LIVE Connection screen, DNS status displays "Failed"

This article describes a problem in which the Domain Name Service (DNS) Address status is displayed as FAILED when you try to connect to Xbox LIVE. This problem may occur when you try to perform the network test on the Test Xbox LIVE Connection screen. Steps are provided to help you resolve the problem.

You cannot connect to Xbox LIVE. During the network test that is performed on the Network status screen in the Xbox Dashboard, the Domain Name Service (DNS) Address status is DNS Failed.

This problem may occur for one or more of these reasons:

• The DNS Address servers could not be reached.
• The DNS server address information could not be obtained from your ISP or from the DHCP server.
• The DNS values in the Dashboard are incorrect.

Try the following methods in the order in which they are presented.

Method 1: Restart the network equipment

Frequently, restarting the modem, the router, or other equipment can resolve the problem. This process is also known as "power cycling." This means turning off each piece of equipment and then turning each piece back on in sequence.

For more information about how to restart network equipment, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: If you restarted the network equipment and this did not resolve the problem, try one of the following methods.

Method 2: Change how your console obtains its DNS settings

To try this solution, you have to know whether you are using automatic or manual DNS settings. Your console is set up to obtain its DNS settings either automatically from your modem or from your router, or settings were entered manually into the console.

Determine DNS settings

To determine your DNS settings, follow these steps:

1. Select the System area.
2. Select Network Settings.
   
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3. Select DNS Settings.
   
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Set DNS settings to Automatic

For most setups, we recommend that you have your DNS settings set to Automatic. If your DNS settings were entered manually, switching the setting to direct the router to automatically provide DNS settings might resolve the problem. To do this, you have to make sure DHCP is enabled on the router. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Move to the System area.
2. Select Network settings.
3. Select Edit settings.
4. Select the DNS settings.
5. Select Automatic.
   
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Manually enter DNS settings

Your console may be configured to accept automatic DNS settings from the router or from the modem. But the router or the modem might not be assigning these settings. You can try to manually enter your DNS settings instead.

Before you begin, examine the documentation from your Internet service provider (ISP), or contact your ISP to obtain static DNS addresses for your Internet service. There should be two addresses, a primary address and a secondary address. Each address should be in the following format: nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn To manually enter your DNS settings, follow these steps:

1. Move to the System area.
2. Select Network settings.
3. Select Edit settings.
4. Select DNS settings.
5. Select Manual.

Method 3: Copy the DNS settings from your computer

If the previous methods did not resolve the problem, you may want to copy the DNS settings from your computer to the Xbox console. If you can open the Xbox LIVE Web site on your computer, the computer's DNS settings are set up correctly. Therefore, you can safely copy them to the console.

To locate the DNS settings on your computer, follow the steps for your operating system

Windows Vista

1. Click Start
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   , click Control Panel, click Network and Sharing Center, and then click Manage network connections.
2. Right-click the network connection, such as Local Area Connection or Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties.
3. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
4. In the Properties dialog box, examine the following setting:
   • If Use the following DNS server addresses is selected, note the two DNS server addresses, and then click Cancel.
   • If Obtain DNS server address automatically is selected, there are no specific address for you to note. Click Cancel, and then follow these steps:
     1. Click Start
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        , type cmd in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
     2. At the command prompt, type ipconfig/all, and then press ENTER.
     3. Examine the list that is displayed.
        
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        Note The IP numbers in this example may differ from yours.

Windows XP

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Network Connections.
2. Right-click the network connection, such as Local Area Connection or Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties.
3. Double-click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
4. In the Properties dialog box, examine the following settings:
   • If Use the following DNS server addresses is selected, note the two DNS server addresses, and then click Cancel.
   • If Obtain DNS server address automatically is selected, there are no specific addresses for you to note. Click Cancel, and then follow these steps:
     1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.
     2. At the command prompt, type ipconfig/all, and then press ENTER.
     3. Examine the list that is displayed.
        
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        Note The IP numbers in this example may differ from yours.

If you find specific DNS server addresses, you have to manually enter the addresses on your Xbox console. Follow the procedure in Method 2 ("Change how your console obtains its DNS settings") to manually enter the computer DNS settings on the console. Then, try to connect to Xbox LIVE again.

If you did not find specific DNS addresses, this means that your computer obtains its DNS settings automatically, and your console should also obtain its DNS settings automatically. If you did not already do this in a previous method, make sure that your DNS settings are set to Automatic. (See "Set DNS settings to Automatic".) Then, again try to connect to Xbox LIVE.

Method 4: Try a modem-only connection

If you have a router plugged into your modem, disconnect the router from the modem, and then connect your modem directly to your Xbox 360 console. Make sure that DNS Settings on the console is set to Automatic. If this resolves the issue, this indicates that you have an issue that affects the router. If your computer can access the Internet when the computer is connected to the router but your modem cannot access the Internet, power cycling may resolve the issue.

Method 5: Contact your ISP

If your console has the same settings as your computer and if you can access Web sites on your computer but you receive DNS errors on your console, you may have a problem with your routing tables. DNS servers use routing tables to direct network traffic to the correct destinations. If those tables have incorrect information, your console might be unable to locate the Xbox LIVE servers. This problem is really out of your control and can only be addressed by your ISP. Contact your ISP to inform them about the problem or to determine whether they are experiencing any DNS issues.