How to install Dig on a Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7 64-bit system

This installation procedure will extract only  relevant libraries and executables from the BIND 9 package, and not install a full-blown DNS server.

Head over to http://www.isc.org/downloads/ and download the BIND 9.10.0-P2 package. Select the 64-bit version and leave the 32-bit package as a last resort. The 64-bit version is dependent on the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package, which you can download and install from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30679#

Why is it preferable to go with the 64-bit version of BIND 9 on a Windows 64-bit system, when 32-bit applications work just fine? Since dig is a command line tool there are a few things to take into account. On a Windows 64-bit system, the command line interpreter (cmd.exe) will be running in 64-bit mode. That means it will look for executables under %SystemRoot%\System32\.
The System32 folder, despite its name is designed for 64-bit executables on Windows 64-bit systems.
/**Note: On Windows 32-bit systems, the %SystemRoot%\System32\ folder is indeed for 32-bit executables.*/

The command prompt with its 64 and 32-bit executables.

The correct folder for 32-bit executables on Windows 64-bit systems is %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\, again ignore the clever naming scheme as WOW64 stands for “Windows (32-bit) on Windows 64-bit”. Anyhow, if you opted to install the 32-bit version of BIND 9 and thus extracted the executables and libraries to %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64, you’ll need to run the 32-bit version of cmd.exe by issuing the command:

%SystemRoot%\SYSWOW64\cmd.exe


The next step is assuming that the package of choice was the 64-bit version of BIND 9, and that the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable is already installed. If not, then make adjustments accordingly. Open the BIND9.10.0-P2.x64.zip file and extract the following files to %SystemRoot%\System32\
/**Note: Moving files into the System32 folder requires administrative privileges (run as administrator).*/

dig.exe
host.exe
libbind9.dll
libdns.dll
libeay32.dll
libisc.dll
libisccfg.dll
liblwres.dll
libxml2.dll

Finally, fire up the command prompt and check if the installation was successful by doing a DNS query:

dig isc.org

Dig on Windows 8.1 64-bit