Quickly Find MX Records

How can I quickly find MX Records for SMTP domains?

MX is an acronym for Mail eXchange. MX is defined in RFC 1035. It specifies the name and relative preference of mail servers for the zone. MX is a DNS record used to define the host(s) willing to accept mail for a given domain. I.e. an MX record indicates which computer is responsible for handling the mail for a particular domain.
Searching the web for specific pieces of information is easy when you know where to search (On the Quickly Search the Web article I’ve shown you several methods of performing quick searches on the web). Most search engines have their own customized search toolbar (such as Google’s Toolbar or the Yahoo’s Toolbar). These toolbars have some great features such as Pop-up blockers, quick search links and so on.
In order to find MX Records for SMTP domains you can use Command-line tools such as NSLOOKUP or DIG. You can also use online web services that allow you to perform quick searches and display the information in a convenient manner.
One of these online engines is the one found at www.dnsstuff.com (more sites like that one exist, see links section at the bottom). When using their services one can easily find DNS records and gather important diagnostic information.
You can utilize some of these online services and add their URLs to your browser’s address bar, while adding the required record to perform the search on.
The trick is performed by inserting specific keywords and search strings for each search engine into your computer’s registry.
For example, to search for the MX Records for the Petri.co.il SMTP domain in dnsstuff.com, instead of opening a new browser window, surfing to their website, and performing the search, you can now simply enter the following text in Internet Explorer’s address bar:

​mx petri.com


and after clicking on Go or pressing Enter you’ll be transferred to:

To enable this tip you need to follow these steps.

Warning!
This document contains instructions for editing the registry. If you make any error while editing the registry, you can potentially cause Windows to fail or be unable to boot, requiring you to reinstall Windows. Edit the registry at your own risk. Always back up the registry before making any changes. If you do not feel comfortable editing the registry, do not attempt these instructions. Instead, seek the help of a trained computer specialist.

To configure this tweak do the following:

  1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
  2. Locate the following key in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchUrl
  1. Right-click the SearchUrl key and click New > Key.

quick search7 small

  1. The name of the new key will be the text you type before the SMTP domain name. Type MX.
  1. Click the MX sub key. In the right pane double-click the Default value, and then enter the following value:
​http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/dnstime.ch?name=%s&type=MX
  1. Close the registry editor.
  2. No reboot is required.

You can also download this Registry Hack, unzip it and double click it. It will add the above keys to your registry (plus some more – read Quickly Search the Web)

Related articles

You may find these related articles of interest to you:

Links

DNSStufflink out ico
KLOTH.NET – DIG – DNS lookup – find IP addresslink out ico
Ajax DNSlink out ico
DNS Quick Check – Online DNS Report Toollink out ico