“This site cannot be reached” is, maybe, the most frequent error that Google Chrome, Opera (and some other Chromium-based browsers) can face. It appears with the following explanations «server DNS address could not be found» and «Server IP address could not be found» and ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED code.

The error has nothing to do with the version of the OS, and you may face it in Windows 10, 8 or Windows 7 with the same probability (although, more often, you still have to see it in Windows 10).

Now we will show you # proven ways to fix this problem and discuss the possible reasons why you see this error.

Check out the fullest guide to fixing «This site cannot be reached» problem!

The first steps you should take

When facing «This site cannot be reached» error, some guys may immediately start to think of the difficult solutions (although they are often the most effective), but first, it is always better to apply a few simple actions that also often help to get rid of multiple problems:

• Restart a computer, router, modem.
• If you are using a router, and all the browsers on all the connected devices show the same message «This site cannot be reached», it really makes sense to make a call the provider’s support and report the problem. It is possible that they have some kind of hardware failure, and you can’t enter the websites because of problems with DNS servers.
• If there is a problem with one device, or the Internet cable is connected directly to the computer, then it makes sense to temporarily disable the antivirus.
• It is quite a rare thing if the problem appears suddenly. Try to remember all the changes you have made: maybe you’ve changed some settings, cured some malware, installed some programs, antiviruses, etc. This is very important. After all, you can always undo any changes, or delete uninstall the new programs.
• If possible, connect another device to the Internet, and try to visit the problem website. If everything appears to be OK, then you can be sure that it is not your provider’s fault, and check your router or modem.

If these tips did not help you, try the following proven solutions!

Check the registry 

The first thing you should do if your browser doesn’t work is checking and, if necessary, editing the registry. To do that, you have to start one of the Windows utilities: the easiest way to do that is to run Windows command bar and press «Win» + «R» key. Here you have to type «regedit” and press «Enter».

Then next thing you will see is the Windows registry editor.

Check out the sections on the left side and choose «HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE». Then, one by one, go through the «SOFTWARE», «Microsoft», «Windows NT», «Current Version» and, finally, «Windows» subsections. Now find the list of parameters in the right section of the window and check out the «AppInit_DLLs» item, clicking on it with the right mouse button. If its value is empty, everything is OK. If there is a path to a file, you should completely erase this text.

Check out the same parameter in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER section, making the same transitions in subsections. After fixing it, reboot the computer and check out your browser. This method helps in 80% of cases.

«Hosts» file

If all browsers or at least one of them does not open a single webpage, but the messengers are working correctly, you can try to fix the problem by making changes to the file called «hosts». Although, in most cases, these edits are required when you can’t get access to a specific website (mainly to social networks).

The file is located in the folder located at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc and doesn’t have an extension. There’s a text, located in this file by default. The last line with the IP address should look like “127.0.0.1 localhost”. If you will see some similar text after this line, most likely, it is superfluous and it has appeared due to malware activity.

Now you can restart your computer and try to connect to the network.

Problem with DNS

This is one of the easiest ways to fix the problem. You just need to run a command bar and try to ping some specific site, which currently should be exactly working. Google server is guaranteed to be working, so type in «ping google.com». 

If you won’t get the desired answer, it means that it was impossible to find google.com website. So, DNS is the reason that causes the problem.

You can fix it by replacing the address of the Google server with an IP address, consisting of four eights. If this helps, the Internet connection properties must be set to 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4 as the DNS addresses. If only DNS was the reason, you will start getting access to webpages again.

Virus attacks

Viruses or other malicious programs can be the reason why you can’t get anywhere on the Web with the browser, while Skype is working correctly. They affect only certain applications, such as Chrome or Opera, and often even antivirus can miss them. It’s needless to say that quite often they remain unnoticed to the user.

There are special antimalware utilities that help to detect and neutralize the viruses.   Most often they have a free trial period, but they still can partially protect the computer. Some viruses, that are a kind of Trojan.Winlock (these types of viruses also won’t let you visit the websites and can also block some browser functions). For example, when you attempt to access a site, you will see a window with a request to «immediately send an SMS to unlock». It is quite difficult to close it – the easiest way to do this is to run the “Task Manager” and close the browser, and then check your computer for malicious software.

Some viruses are able to partially block your access to the network, limiting your access to the specific website, while you will still have Internet access.

So, consider protecting your computer by choosing reliable antivirus software. Most of these programs are paid, but it is quite crucial to protect the important information you have.

We are glad to welcome you at Weblium: AI Website Builder – we make perfect websites that never go down!