How does Windows handle DNS resolution for local and external domains?

[ProfRon]

When you fire up your browser and punch in a local address like your company's server name, Windows first peeks into that little hosts file on your machine. It scans for a match right there. If nothing pops, it rummages through its own memory cache for recent lookups. You know, stuff you've hit before. Only then does it ping the DNS server on your network, usually the one tied to your domain controller. That server hustles to resolve it using records stored in Active Directory. Pretty quick for internal stuff.

For outside domains, like google.com, Windows skips the local file and cache if it smells external. It jumps straight to whatever DNS servers you set in your network settings. Often that's your ISP's or public ones like Google's. Your machine sends a query out. The server bounces it around the internet's name system until it grabs the IP back. Windows stashes that in cache for next time. Saves you hassle.

I remember tweaking this on my home setup once. You might notice lags if your DNS is flaky. Windows tries to smooth it by preferring reliable paths. It even falls back to NetBIOS for super old local names if DNS fails. Keeps things chugging without you noticing.

Picture this: you're on a work laptop at a coffee shop. Windows senses the switch and refreshes its DNS hunt. It adapts on the fly. No big drama.

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