Stupid Bell Domain Name Server Redirect [Site]

2009 Aug 14
Bell Sympatico Rant. If you have Rogers, I guess you can read it and chuckle...

I use Bell Sympatico High Speed, and have been getting these weird 'Domain Not Found' messages, on occasion when I try to access Ottawa Foodies. Has anyone else been having this problem? The irony is that after presenting you with a list of 'options', if you click on the 'option' for Ottawa Foodies.. it will THEN decide you are worthy to see that website. Weird?

Any thoughts FF?

2009 Aug 14
Sounds like a virus... downloading porn at work is not a good idea :)

2009 Aug 14
His DNS is clean. In fact, very, very clean! Well done FF!

I purchase the DNS Stuff tools here at work, and just ran an analysis

www.dnsstuff.com

You may not be able to view those results.

2009 Aug 14
BTW, why not just use a different DNS server? There are tonnes of open public ones out there - google will find you one. OpenDNS works well if you do not mind the annoyance that everything resolves. i.e. if there is a truly unknown name (e.g. you type something in wrong) it resolves to their address and in a web browser brings you to an ad for their service. Other than that annoyance it works great

2009 Aug 14
No Snoopy, nothing at all like that (although you're right, it does look like an old virus). Most people who have Bell know that the quality of their DNS (Domain Name Servers is crap, and they often can't find common domains. I had programmed my machine to do lookups with the Bell server as my secondary, and use Level 3 4.2.2.1 as my primary. I had read however that Bell had started a new program to intercept ALL DNS resolution requests, and route through their own crappy name servers. (Some info here tech.slashdot.org ) Shortly after that article reporting the change, I started getting Bell's redirect for some pretty common websites that I'd never had trouble with before. And this problem is at HOME, not at work (I am off work today.. YAY!)

2009 Aug 14
So, um, why not switch to Teksavvy, PiO?

And give Bell the finger?

2009 Aug 14
If it makes you feel any better Rogers does the same thing. We had similar issues with a VPN at work. One solution on the windoze side is to add the domains to your host file.

2009 Aug 14
+1 Teksavvy

2009 Aug 14
Teksavvy is great unless you live in an area where Bell didn't bother to put in the DSL cards ... fricken live 10 minutes from Kanata and can only get wireless service - RANT OFF.

2009 Aug 15
Yeah, I think the Bell name server is way crappier than the Rogers one that I'm forced through.

Have you opted out of receiving suggested sites? That may help things. Well worth the cookie.