Norton DNS servers for safer internet

A DNS server is needed for using the internet. A DNS server converts the readable form of web addresses like google.com into numerical IP addresses like 66.102.7.104. Norton has introduced Norton public DNS servers for free public use. It is said to be safe as it would be blocking all the sites that spread malware. Anybody can use the Norton public DNS servers for free if they properly configure the internet settings. For more information about Norton DNS servers, you can visit http://www.nortondns.com/. This article discusses how to configure Windows to use the Norton public DNS servers.

Method 1 - Using Windows Control Panel

1. Open Control Panel. Click Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center. Then click on Manage network connections on the left side menu.
   
2. In the next window, select your Local Area Connection or Wireless Network Connection, right-click on it and select Properties
   
3. In the Connection Properties, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click on Properties.
   
4. In the TCP/IPv4 properties window, select Use the following DNS server addresses. Enter the Norton public DNS IP addresses 198.153.192.1 and 198.153.194.1 and click OK as shown :
   
5. You are ready to use the NortonDNS.

Method 2 - Using command line

1. Open an elevated command prompt in Windows Vista or Windows 7. If you are running Windows XP, then you need to be logged in with an administrator level account.
2. In the command prompt type the following and press Enter
   netsh interface ip show config
3. Note down the DNS servers listed in the information as shown
   
4. For Windows Vista and 7, in the command prompt type the following and press Enter after each line
   netsh interface ip set dnsserver "Local Area Connection" static 198.153.192.1
   netsh interface ip add dnsserver "Local Area Connection" 198.153.194.1 index=2

   Replace the "Local Area Connection" with whatever you see in step 3.

5. For Windows XP, in the command prompt type the following and press Enter after each line
   netsh interface ip set dns "Local Area Connection" static 198.153.192.1
   netsh interface ip add dns "Local Area Connection" 198.153.194.1 index=2

After you have setup your network connection to use the NortonDNS, you can check if it is working. Visit http://setup.nortondns.com/ in your browser. If you see a green checkmark, then you are using the Norton DNS servers as shown.

If you see a red cross mark, then you are not using the Norton DNS servers. In that case, you should try to set the DNS server settings again.