Does Chrome use a different DNS server from Firefox and IE which use the OS default?

"Yes, sort of. Chrome has an option enabled by default called DNS caching/prefetching.

Usually this lets Chrome ""speed up"" a user's browsing experience because it caches/prefetches DNS queries.

If you're having problems, try disabling DNS prefetching under the Wrench -> Options -> Under the Hood.

edit: Chrome does not use it's own servers to do DNS lookups, it does, however, lookup all the DNS entries of the links on a page when first loaded."

"I am quite certain that the DNS prefetching in Chrome is thoroughly broken. I have yet to see a Chrome install where this feature does not cause problems with resolving hosts (either long delays, or outright unable to resolve). My suggestion would be to always disable this under Options.

The features is called ""Use DNS pre-fetching to improve page load performance""...which is quite laughable."