" If the response is never received, or if there is a redirect, then a DNS request for dns.msftncsi.com is made. If DNS resolves properly but the page is inaccessible, then it is assumed that there is a working internet connection, but an in-browser authentication page is blocking access to the file. This results in the pop-up balloon above. If DNS resolution fails or returns the wrong address, then it is assumed that the internet connection is completely unsuccessful, and the “no internet access” error is shown."
Would this mean that DNS poisoning msftncsi.com would prevent Win7 machines from accessing the internet? Or would this merely cause the 'no internet access' error to be displayed despite your connection working anyway?
Which is terribly annoying when you have a crappy router that intercepts dns queries and sometimes fails to resolve, making Windows think there's no internet, which makes it NOT let you even try to send the packets. Not my case but I've seen it happen: big FAIL. What a crappy way of "checking" you have internet access...
(@yakyak, no they don't work, that's what's so screwed up not just the half-assed method for checking)
This service can be disabled, so obviously it doesn't prevent you from accessing the internet even if it thinks it doesn't have access. It would SAY "no internet connection", but internet resources would still work just fine.
Would this mean that DNS poisoning msftncsi.com would prevent Win7 machines from accessing the internet? Or would this merely cause the 'no internet access' error to be displayed despite your connection working anyway?