Clearing Your IP Cache on your local Computer Print

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NOTE: Sorry we can not provide Chat or Phone support for this specific issue.

When changing IP addresses of your web site, your going to need to allow plenty of propagation time for the entire Internet to "see" that change, so the most important thing you can do is HAVE PATIENCE, because sometimes it can take over 48 hours to fully propagate then entire internet.

To get a good idea what IP Address the world is seeing for your domain name, go to www.WhatsMyDNS.net and type in your domain name and select "A" record and then 21 locations (out of millions) around the world will be sampled as to what IP address is being seen for your domain. It's common to see one or two red X's so don't worry about that, if you see them. If  you are seeing the NEW IP address in all the locations, that means, for the most part your domain has propagated. But it might not have propagated on your computer so here is some things to try, to help "flush out" the old IP.

If your computer/device is still seeing the old IP, that means your old IP address may still be "stuck" in your local computer. So here is what you need to do if you are using a Windows Based PC, like Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Using a MAC, no problem, vist this page Reset the DNS cache in OS X at Apple Support, but you might want to look at Step 5 below before you go, it could help you.

1) You will need to open your "Command Prompt" on your Windows based computer by, here is the instructions if you do not know how:

a) Click on the Windows Start button lower left on your monitor (you can skip with Windows 10 just search in the "Search the web and Windows field bottom left)

b) In the Search Programs & Files field type "cmd" and then on the cmd.exe file (this is important) RIGHT CLICK the file and select "RUN as administrator" (if you do not run as administrator the remaining instructions will NOT work).

2) With the Command Prompt (cmd) Open type in the exact phrase:

ipconfig /flushdns
Once the above is typed in the command prompt hit the Enter (return) key to run the command. Make sure there is only ONE space between the "g" in ipconfig and the "/" forward slash in front of flushdns

You will see the following result from running this command:

Successfully flushed the DNS Resolved Cache.

3) Now check to see if your domain name is now pointing to the proper IP on your local machine. By using the Command Prompt to type in this command:

ping your-domain-name-here.com
There will be one space between the "g" in ping and the first character in your domain name, of course replace "your-domain-name-here.com" with your actual domain name.

You will see a set of numbers in this format XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX and if those numbers are numbers of your IP address then the dns flush worked on your computer.

NOTE: Sometimes you will need to reboot your computer after you have completed a DNS Flush. If you are still seeing your old site (assuming your site "look" changed with the new IP address) you might need to clear your web browser cache. The newer versions of Firefox has its own DNS cache, so make sure to close Firefox web browser before starting the above.

4) After running the DNS Flush command in step 2 you might need to run the "net stop dnscache" and " net start dnscache" command if you are still having issues. Here is how:

a) With the Command Prompt still open in running as administrator type the following command:

net stop dnscache
(then hit/tap the Enter key to start the command)

You should see the following after you run that command
The DNS Client service is stopping.
The DNS Client Service was stopped successfully.

b) Now Run this command to restart DNS cache:

net start dnscache
(then hit/tap the Enter key to start the command)

You should see the following after you run that command
The DNS Client service is starting.
The DNS Client service was started successfully.

c)
Now Ping your domain name (see Step 3 above ) to see if your IP address has been removed and replaced with the new IP address. If it has not see Step 5 for possible resolution.

5) If following all the steps above still the domain name is pointing to the old IP address, and you are on a local area network (LAN) it could very well be your Router has cached the IP for the domain. You can just simple wait until your Router updates or do the following:
a) Turn off all computers/devices connected to the router.
b) Turn off your router (if seperate from your Modem).
c) Now turn off your DSL or Cable Modem (if it has internal battery unpluging the router the battery will keep it powered, so recommend you call your ISP provider for instructions). Make sure to leave your DSL or Cable Modem off for approximately 10 minutes, minimum of 5 minutes, but longer the better.
d) Now you will want to start powering the above items up again in reverse order, DSL or Cable modem (make sure it goes through all its checks), then your router, if seperate, and then your computer/devices.
e) Once your modem, router and computer are back up and running perform Step 3 above again and see if your domain name has switched to the new IP. If it has not, that means, a switch/router on the internet upstream from your modem is still seeing and feeding your modem/router the old IP, and only time will cure this issue. You should see the issue resolve it self in hours and under a worse case senario a couple of days. 

NOTE: Sorry we can not provide Chat or Phone support for this specific issue.

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updated - September 9, 2015


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