DNS Probe Finished Bad Config Error | Permanent Fix

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DNS Probe Finished Bad Config: There are times when you want to visit your favorite website or want to watch a specific video, but you can’t. All this because of an annoying error. Several errors might completely ruin your browsing experience.

One of them is the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error. This error is a Domain Name System error that prevents a user from accessing a website. There are multiple reasons for the occurrence of this error. Some of them being slow internet, third party software, and invalid data.

If you find yourself in a situation like this, then don’t worry. Here in this post, we have covered everything associated with DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error, what causes it, and how to fix the error.

If you are getting the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error, then there is a big chance that you’ll bump into the DNS Probe Finished No Internet error. Check out how to fix this error permanently.

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What is DNS Probe Finished Bad Config

As mentioned above, DNS Probe Finished Bad Config is a Domain Name system error that may prevent a user from accessing a specific webpage. This error is quite common and occurs due to a variety of reasons. Domain Name System or DNS is a convention that is used to assign IP domain names to the IP addresses on the internet. 

When you head over to Google, you type in “www.google.com” in your address bar. The DNS of your system finds a unique IP address associated with the domain name. Then your system connects to that IP address and transmits data to your web browser.

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What causes DNS Probe Finished Bad Config

However, several agents might prevent this process from happening. These agents usually present DNS errors on your browser such as DNS_Probe_Finished_No_Internet. DNS Probe Finished Bad Config is one of the many DNS errors that you might experience.

It’s important to fix this error and there are multiple ways to do the same. However, before fixing the problem, one needs to know the origin of these errors. The most obvious ones are provided below.

1. Invalid browsing data
2. Faulty configuration in the DNS
3. VPN
4. Third-Party Softwares
5. Internet speed

Now that you know what causes the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error, it is time to get rid of it.

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How Do I Fix DNS Probe Finished Bad Config

There are several solutions to fix the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error on a system. Here are some of the best working methods that might help you in removing the DNS error.

Resetting the Winsock Program

Windows Socket program or Winsock is a network on a machine that the other processes on your computer use to connect to the internet. Due to few misconfigurations in the socket settings, the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config might occur. However, the problem can be resolved quickly by resetting the Winsock program on your computer.

To reset the Winsock program on your Windows system, just follow the below-given steps.

1. Click on the Start Menu icon (located at the bottom-left corner of your screen).
2. In the search bar, type in CMD and press Enter.
3. Right-click on the search result titled Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
4. A command prompt window will be presented.
5. Type in the following commands and press Enter.

netsh Winsock reset

 6. You’ll be presented with an output like this.

Successfully reset the Winsock Catalog. You must restart the computer to complete the reset.

 7. Restart your system and see if the problem is still there.

Resetting the Winsock program easily removes the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config. However, if that’s not the case for you, try the next solution.

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Flushing the DNS

Every Microsoft Windows distribution has a pre-installed program named Command Prompt. The command prompt is a utility that users can use to control their systems. One of the many functions of Command Prompt is flushing the DNS. Since, the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config is a DNS error, flushing the DNS might work for you.

To flush the computer  DNS using the command prompt, follow the steps given below.

1. Click on the Start menu icon (usually located on the bottom-left corner of your screen).
2. In the search bar, type in CMD and press Enter.
3. Right-click on the search result titled Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
4. A command prompt window will be presented.
5. Enter the commands given below one by one. Press Enter after each command.

ipconfig/release

ipconfig/all

ipconfig/flushdns

ipconfig/ renew

netsh int ip set dns

netsh Winsock reset

6. Reboot your PC and check if the problem is still there.

If flushing your system DNS didn’t remove the error, you need to try the next method.

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Changing DNS to Google DNS

If you’re experiencing the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error while surfing the internet, the problem might be in the TCP/IP4 Proxy Settings of your computer. This error can be easily removed by tweaking some settings in the network section of your Windows machine.

To change your DNS to Google DNS on your Windows machine, follow the below-given steps carefully.

1. Click on the Start Menu.
2. Head over to Network Connections.
3. Right–click on the network you are connected to.
4. Go to the Properties of the current network.
5. Search and click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (IP4) from the list in the next dialog box.
6. Select the Properties option.
7. In the next dialog box, check the option titled Use the Below Preferred Alternate DNS addresses.
8. Enter the below-provided address into the respective sections.

Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8

Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4

 

9. Click Ok and Save the configuration.

In some cases, switching your system’s DNS to Google DNS might fix the DNS problem on your system.

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Resetting Chrome Flag Settings

Sometimes, improperly configured Chrome flags can also lead to the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error. To fix this problem, one needs to reset the Google Chrome Flag Settings on their system.

To reset these settings,  follow the below-given guide.

1. Launch Google Chrome on your computer.
2. Type in “Chrome://flags” and press Enter.
3. Select the Reset all the Flags option located at the bottom.

   

4. The Google Chrome Flag Settings will now reset.

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Restarting the DNS Client

As you know, the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config is a DNS issue, so restarting your DNS client might solve it. Doing this would set the invalid settings to default and remove the error from your system.

If you want to restart the DNS client using the command prompt, follow the guide given below.

1. Click on the Start menu icon (usually located on the bottom-left corner of your screen).
2. In the search bar, type in CMD and press Enter.
3. Right-click on the search result titled Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
4. A command prompt window will be presented.
5. Type in the commands below one by one. Note that you have to press Enter after each text.

net stop dnscache

net start dnscache

 6. Reboot your system and browse the internet on your computer.

In the majority of situations, restarting your DNS removes the issue. However, if you are still facing the error, feel free to try the next method.

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Clearing Browser Data

Browser data can cause several errors related to the internet. DNS Probe Finished Bad Config is also one of the many errors. Browsing data includes cache, cookie files, passwords, browsing history, etc. These data can mess with the system settings and lead to errors.

Hopefully, these errors can be easily resolved because browsers provide utility to remove the browsing data of your system. In this tutorial, we will be dealing with how to clear data on Google Chrome.

To clear the data in Chrome, you might need to follow these steps carefully.

1. Fire up Google Chrome.
2. You’ll notice three dots titled More. Select the More option.
3. Find and select the option named Clear Browsing Data.
4. Head over to the Advanced tab.
5. Choose All Time as the time.
   
   
6. Check all the items on the list.
7. Select Clear Data.

Google Chrome will now clear your Browsing data. The cleaning process might take some time depending on the size of your browsing data.

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Updating Browser

Outdated software is home to several bugs that might break the DNS settings of your computer. Updating your internet browser is the only way of solving this issue. Normally, browsers update themselves in the background while you use them. However, in some cases, the updating process might fail.

Then, you might want to consider manually updating your browser. To do a manual update on your browser, follow the step-by-step guide below.

1. Launch Google Chrome on your computer.
2. Select the More button at the top right section of your screen.
3. Locate and click on the Update Google Chrome option.
   
   
4. Google Chrome will start searching for updates.

Note: Keep in mind that your browser is already up to date if you don’t find any Update Your Browser option on the Menu.

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Updating Network Adapter Drivers

The DNS Probe Finished Bad Config is a network-based issue that might get resolved by updating the network drivers. Outdated network drivers may stop the web page from loading. The only answer to this problem is to update the drivers for the network devices.

To do so, follow the step-by-step guide given below.

1. Right-click on the Start Menu.
2. Head over to the Device Manager.
3. Search for the Network Adapters section. Double click the option to expand it.
4. You’ll be presented with a list of Network Adapters. Right-click on each one and select Update.
   
   
5. Select Search for Drivers automatically. 
6. The system will install the latest network adapter drivers for you.

There is a high chance that updating your Network Adapter drivers will solve the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error on your computer.

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Disabling Web Filtering Softwares

Web Filtering Softwares are special third party applications that disallow specific websites on your browser. You might be in a situation where a web Filtering software is installed on your computer. The problem can be fixed by simply uninstalling the software. You can do this by heading over to the control panel and uninstalling the application.

To disable Web Filtering software on your system, follow the below-given step-by-step guide.

1. Click on the Start menu icon.
2. Head over to the Control Panel.
3. Go to Programs and Features.
4. From the list of programs, find the one that might be a web filtering software according to you.
5. Double click on the item to uninstall it from your computer.

The software will be permanently removed from your system. Open up your browser and check if the problem still exists.

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Final Words

So, that was our take on the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error. This is a Domain Name System error and is caused by several reasons such as Bad internet speed, third party software, VPNs, antivirus, etc. If you are experiencing the DNS Probe Finished Bad Config error on your system, then some ways might help you out. The solutions include clearing your browser history, uninstalling web filtering software, flushing your DNS, resetting Winsock, and changing your DNS to Google DNS.