ipconfig unable to contact DHCP server

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steve
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Steve

I've got a couple of computers connected to a router - 2
wired, one wirelss. The router is connected to a cable
modem. One of the wired computers running Windows XP
(service pack 2) will not connect. It keeps setting the
IP address at 169.254.xxx instead of 192.168.x.x.
I release and renew iconfig and it gives me the
message "an error occurred while renewing interface Networ
Bridge: unable to contact your DHCP server." I've ruled
out the router and modem - as the other computers work.
I've switced mobo and network card. No difference. I
even reloaded Windows XP and that fixed it for about two
weeks and then it went out again. I can manually set the
IP address for 192.168.x.x and that lets the computer
communicate with the other two computers, but it still
won't connect to the internet.
Thoughts?
 
-----Original Message-----
I've got a couple of computers connected to a router - 2
wired, one wirelss. The router is connected to a cable
modem. One of the wired computers running Windows XP
(service pack 2) will not connect. It keeps setting the
IP address at 169.254.xxx instead of 192.168.x.x.
I release and renew iconfig and it gives me the
message "an error occurred while renewing interface Networ
Bridge: unable to contact your DHCP server." I've ruled
out the router and modem - as the other computers work.
I've switced mobo and network card. No difference. I
even reloaded Windows XP and that fixed it for about two
weeks and then it went out again. I can manually set the
IP address for 192.168.x.x and that lets the computer
communicate with the other two computers, but it still
won't connect to the internet.
Thoughts?
.
Click to expand...

Steve,
I think that this is most likely a connectivity problem.
A 169.254 address is called a "PIPA" or Private IP
Address. This happens when the comp cant find a DHCP
server to give it an IP address. Since the trouble
computer is a wired one, try swapping everything you can
with the one that works. NIC card and ethernet cable
first. If that doesnt work, make sure that your dhcp
client service is enable. Administrative Tools -->
Services. Shoot me an email and let me know how it goes.
Kyle
(e-mail address removed)
 
"Steve" said:
I've got a couple of computers connected to a router - 2
wired, one wirelss. The router is connected to a cable
modem. One of the wired computers running Windows XP
(service pack 2) will not connect. It keeps setting the
IP address at 169.254.xxx instead of 192.168.x.x.
I release and renew iconfig and it gives me the
message "an error occurred while renewing interface Networ
Bridge: unable to contact your DHCP server." I've ruled
out the router and modem - as the other computers work.
I've switced mobo and network card. No difference. I
even reloaded Windows XP and that fixed it for about two
weeks and then it went out again. I can manually set the
IP address for 192.168.x.x and that lets the computer
communicate with the other two computers, but it still
won't connect to the internet.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...

If you don't have a specific need for the Network Bridge, right-click
and delete it. Then, run ipconfig again to get an IP address for the
local area network connection.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 
Neither idea worked. I should add that when this first
happened, I put in a new mother board with a new
integrated network card and put in a new network cable.
That did not fix the problem. The only thing that worked
was to put in a new hard drive, reformat it, and load
windows XP on it. Of course, that meant I had to reload
every program on my computer, so I really don't want to do
that again. So I'm pretty sure its a Windows issue, but
can't tell what. BTW, I tried to recover Windows to a
couple of days before the outage and that didn't do
anything either.

Steve
 

I had the same issue after upgrading to SP2. I used a wireless
connection that refused to get an IP address after the upgrade. In my
case it was that I had disabled my local network adapter (since I did
not use it anyway). But for some reason this does not work. If you
local network adapter is disabled it might cause wireless adapters not
to obtain IP addresses after the SP2 upgrade.
 
Steve said:
I've got a couple of computers connected to a router - 2
wired, one wirelss. The router is connected to a cable
modem. One of the wired computers running Windows XP
(service pack 2) will not connect. It keeps setting the
IP address at 169.254.xxx instead of 192.168.x.x.
I release and renew iconfig and it gives me the
message "an error occurred while renewing interface Networ
Bridge: unable to contact your DHCP server." I've ruled
out the router and modem - as the other computers work.
I've switced mobo and network card. No difference. I
even reloaded Windows XP and that fixed it for about two
weeks and then it went out again. I can manually set the
IP address for 192.168.x.x and that lets the computer
communicate with the other two computers, but it still
won't connect to the internet.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Google for both lspfix.exe and winsockxpfix.exe. Both will repair the
TCP/IP stack.
Q
 
Thanks for the suggestion. Before I tried, it, I tried
someone elses suggestion to delete my bridge connection
and it worked. I downloaded the fix program and will keep
it in mind if I have more problems.
 
I am having the same problem that Steve had stated in the first post.

I have a desktop PC and my laptop on the same Linksys router. Both have worked fine for the past year. Now, the laptop is have the problem listed by Steve. The desktop PC is still connected through the router and having no issues. I did an ipconfig /release and /renew and got the same error message as Steve. I do not have a bridge set up and i tried multiple ways of renewing/repairing the tcp/ip stack. I tried lspfix.exe and it returned no errors. I have an IBM thinkpad T60 and am running windows XP

Thanks for any help you can give!
 
Same problem here. Damn Vista's black heart.
After following many peoples suggestions on other forums to reset the TCP/IP stack:
1. Click on Start button.
2. Type Cmd in the Start Search text box.
3. Press Ctrl-Shift-Enter keyboard shortcut to run Command Prompt as Administrator. Allow elevation request.
4. Type netsh int ip reset in the Command Prompt shell, and then press the Enter key.
5. Restart the computer.

I found that this DIDNT work. Bummer.

Uninstalling the driver for the netcard didnt work either. I had to uninstall the driver and check the box to delete the driver from the system. After restarting it installed the standard driver and all is well again. I guess if this ever pops up again ill just have to keep doing the same. So much for my first week with Vista - even after SP1. Pretty much regretting the shift from XP if life is going to be like this.

Hope someone else finds this helpful.
 
Quaoar said:
"Steve" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've got a couple of computers connected to a router - 2
> wired, one wirelss. The router is connected to a cable
> modem. One of the wired computers running Windows XP
> (service pack 2) will not connect. It keeps setting the
> IP address at 169.254.xxx instead of 192.168.x.x.
> I release and renew iconfig and it gives me the
> message "an error occurred while renewing interface Networ
> Bridge: unable to contact your DHCP server." I've ruled
> out the router and modem - as the other computers work.
> I've switced mobo and network card. No difference. I
> even reloaded Windows XP and that fixed it for about two
> weeks and then it went out again. I can manually set the
> IP address for 192.168.x.x and that lets the computer
> communicate with the other two computers, but it still
> won't connect to the internet.
> Thoughts?

Google for both lspfix.exe and winsockxpfix.exe. Both will repair the
TCP/IP stack.
Q
Click to expand...

11/18/09 **AWESOME Advice!
I downloaded the winsockxpfix.exe and it resolved the problem. I had an end user take his laptop to Japan. When he came back to the US, nothing worked.

Until now, thanks!
 
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