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When ever I type a wrong URL in to my URL bar, it redirects me to: www.website-unavailable.com
How do I stop this from happening? I would much rather just get redirected to Google.
This happens in both Chrome and Firefox.
I haved tried Spybot, Malware Bytes, and Windows Defender. None of which fixed the problem.
Petah
Posted 2012-08-31T21:14:59.893
Reputation: 1 046
6
I'm betting that your DNS is probably set to the DNS servers of OpenDNS.
You shouldn't worry. If the above is true, your Web traffic is not being intercepted.
What's happening when you type a wrong URL is that, instead of the DNS server returning a response called "NXDOMAIN" meaning the website doesn't exist, the DNS server is returning a response with an OpenDNS IP, giving the OpenDNS system a chance to display a friendly message in your browser (and also show some ads).
Your ISP typically provides one or more DNS servers to resolve DNS queries. You don't have to use the ones provided by your ISP - you can use a third party DNS service and OpenDNS is one of those.
Under Windows, if you go to ncpa.cpl - then the network adapter of your Internet connection, right click, select Properties, then "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and then click on the Properties button, this is where you can choose your DNS servers. If the "Obtain DNS server automatically" is checked - then your DNS configuration is being given to you by DHCP or otherwise used by the company. This may be the case in a corporate environment. You can override it manually if needed (in a corporate environment you probably can't do much on your end, though).
Some people find it is faster than their ISPs DNS servers. OpenDNS lets you add filtering options for your IP and a whole bunch of other services for organizations with multiple IPs - for example OpenDNS can refuse to resolve DNS queries to known malware sites.
Google also operates a public DNS service at 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (and they follow the RFC saying they will return NXDOMAIN for invalid URLs - many, myself included, use them for this reason). Comodo operates one that is specifically meant to refuse to resolve known malwar sites. There's others out there, usually with some sort of filtering option that may appeal to you.
You can choose any DNS server you like to answer DNS queries for you. If you don't want to be redirected to a warning page upon entering an invalid URL, go back to your ISPs DNS servers (by ensuring the "Obtain DNS servers automatically" option is checked) or use Google. I believe you can also tell OpenDNS to stop doing this if you make an account from that IP and select appropriate options.
If you had your computer recently serviced, the tech may have set this for you in order to help you.
LawrenceC
Posted 2012-08-31T21:14:59.893
Reputation: 63 487
6
It is your DNS provider. Either your ISP or whatever custom DNS server you choose to use.
See this question for information about finding a new DNS provider.
Scott Chamberlain
Posted 2012-08-31T21:14:59.893
Reputation: 28 923
Even after changing my DNS server its getting set back. – Petah – 2012-09-05T08:41:39.203
1
Try enabling Use a web service to help resolve navigation errors option in chrome
Steps to enable it:
Ankit
Posted 2012-08-31T21:14:59.893
Reputation: 4 082
As it is happening in both Firefox and Chrome, it looks like it is the DNS server doing the redirecting. – paradroid – 2012-08-31T22:21:53.843
oops,I missed the firefox over there. – Ankit – 2012-08-31T22:24:05.760
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I had a similar problem occur just a few minutes ago. Quite peeved about it actually. My new isp redirected any attempts I made to unreachable websites to it's advertisement laden page. What is worst it never even tells you that the website was unable to be resolved. Unforgiveable.
Anyway here is my solution.
Use a VPN service. It will encrypt your traffic so that your ISP doesn't know what you are doing. They will no longer redirect you when you visit unreachable websites.
TryHarder
Posted 2012-08-31T21:14:59.893
Reputation: 172
The ISP was telstra bigpond. Just in case anyone was wondering. – TryHarder – 2013-01-15T13:16:46.040
You could probably just change your DNS server to 8.8.8.8 in your router. (Maybe...) – daviewales – 2014-05-20T12:28:46.090
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Windows 7
Open Network and Sharing CenterChange adapter settingsLocal Area ConnectionPropertiesInternet Protocol Version 4PropertiesObtain DNS Server Addresses Automatically
user221335
Posted 2012-08-31T21:14:59.893
Reputation: 1
1To be unbelievably picky, opendns.com actually returns BOTH the IP address 67.215.65.132 AND an NXDOMAIN. (do "host to-be-picky.com" at the command line to get back "to-be-picky.com has address 67.215.65.132" followed by "Host to-be-picky.com not found: 3(NXDOMAIN)" – barrycarter – 2012-09-01T05:35:26.087
Even after changing my DNS server its getting set back. – Petah – 2012-09-05T08:41:20.653