laptop with XP DHCP problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Yves Leclerc
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Yves Leclerc

I have a laptop where I can not use DHCP correct with it. My office network
is based on 192.168.254.xxx/255.255.255.0 (do not ask! My client networks
are all lower than this!) and when ever I connect the laptop I get an
"auto-assigned" IP address of 169.254.xxx.yyy/255.255.0.0. What is very
curious now is that I can "force" the laptop to one of my IPs (ie:
192.168.254.232) and it seems to work. I really need the DHCP to work
again, since this laptop is "mobile". That is to say, it travel with the
user to other networks and it must get the correct IP address.

Besides doing a "full" re-install, what else can I try to fix this???
 
Yves said:
I have a laptop where I can not use DHCP correct with it. My office
network is based on 192.168.254.xxx/255.255.255.0 (do not ask! My
client networks are all lower than this!) and when ever I connect the
laptop I get an "auto-assigned" IP address of
169.254.xxx.yyy/255.255.0.0. What is very curious now is that I can
"force" the laptop to one of my IPs (ie: 192.168.254.232) and it
seems to work. I really need the DHCP to work again, since this
laptop is "mobile". That is to say, it travel with the user to other
networks and it must get the correct IP address.
Besides doing a "full" re-install, what else can I try to fix this???
Click to expand...

First look at how your office network is set up. Does it have MAC
address filtering, assigned static IP addresses, special log-on
security, a limited number of IP addresses permitted, and so forth.
Since the one static IP works, that should be a clue that there is
something you don't know about the network. A reinstall will not help.

Q
 
My network has not MAC/IP filtering. It lets any 'Windows" PC access the
Internet. I beginning to suspect the laptop\s NIC set up since

1) It will not assign an IP address with DHCP (0.0.0.0)

2) When the IP address is "forced", very limited Internet access (home page
only). Yahoo messager connects.


It also has AOL 8. Could this be the cause?
 
The way I have solved this problem on my laptop is to use "Alternative
Configuration" Tab in network properties (TCP/IP Properties). i.e. I
use specific static IP addresses ("force" to use 192.168.254.232)and
change them whenever necessary. This means use your forced IPs in
alternative tab and leave the first tab (GENERAL) to use DHCP. Make sure
the properties of TCP/IP has DHCP enabled under IP Settings.

HTH
 
Yves said:
My network has not MAC/IP filtering. It lets any 'Windows" PC access
the Internet. I beginning to suspect the laptop\s NIC set up since

1) It will not assign an IP address with DHCP (0.0.0.0)

2) When the IP address is "forced", very limited Internet access
(home page only). Yahoo messager connects.


It also has AOL 8. Could this be the cause?
Click to expand...

Google for the application winsockxpfix.exe. Run it and see if the
problem resolves. Again, with a new computer, I would look into the
router settings http://192.168.254.1 (from a working computer) to verify
that there is not something there preventing DHCP from working. What
about firewall settings?
 
I have tried all this. I resorted in adding a USB to Ethernet adapter,
which worked every time. Looks like the laptop's built-in network card is
"flaky". Do not know why the authorized repair centre stated "Restore
Windows" though?
 
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