Member Avatar for mheidi

I'm not able to access the internet-have Windows XP. It appears that the problem is that my computer won't renew the ip address. I've tried ipconfig/release - which worked fine, but when I tried ipconfig/renew - nothing happens.
I've done flushdns, reset winsock, checked under administrative tools and services to make sure dns client was enabled-automatic, I've restarted about 18 times, and I'm still getting the 'limited or no connectivity" message, although it can tell me the speed (100 mbps). I'm using a laptop with a Comcast modem with ethernet cable, and I know the connection is good because I've been hooking the same cable up to another laptop(Windows Vista w/IPV6) and it works fine. Does anyone have any ideas on what else I can try? I'm kind of a beginner, and this is probably a stupid question, but could it be my NIC card? or the driver?
Thanks,
Heidi H.

  • 2 Contributors
  • 1 Reply
  • 228 Views
  • 6 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by starfireone

Dani AI

Generated

Summary of what's already been tried and likely focus areas: has a live link (adapter reports 100 Mbps) but Windows XP never gets a DHCP lease after releasing the address; the same cable and Comcast modem work with another laptop, so the problem is local to the XP machine (software/config or NIC/driver). 's suggestions about firewall and modem reset are valid — both are common causes — but there are a few additional checks that narrow the fault faster.

Quick checklist to try (in order)

  • Verify the DHCP Client service is present, set to Automatic, and started (Services -> DHCP Client). DNS Client being automatic is not enough if DHCP is stopped.
  • Confirm IPv4/TCP-IP properties for the LAN adapter are set to obtain IP and DNS automatically (Network Connections -> Local Area Connection -> Properties -> Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)). Remove any accidental static settings.
  • Temporarily disable any third-party firewall/anti-virus network protection and test (do not leave protection off). Also power-cycle the cable modem for 60 seconds to clear MAC-to-lease bindings the ISP equipment may hold.
  • Check Device Manager for the NIC: look for yellow icons, uninstall + reinstall the adapter driver, or roll back to a known-good vendor driver. The physical link light and 100 Mbps readout show the PHY is up but the DHCP handshake can still fail if the driver or stack is corrupted.

Useful diagnostics and isolation steps

  • From a command prompt gather the full adapter info to see current DHCP status and gateway (run ipconfig /all). Reset the TCP/IP stack if corruption is suspected:
    netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt

    Reboot after that. To separate hardware from software, boot Safe Mode with Networking or test with a USB-to-Ethernet adapter or a Linux live-USB — if DHCP works there, the Windows driver/stack is the culprit. If none of these recover DHCP, the NIC hardware may be failing; a USB Ethernet adapter is an inexpensive, reliable workaround.

Member Avatar for starfireone

Most of the time when I have ran into this issue it has been only a few things. One: my firewall was blocking the ipconfig renew from being sent through the cable modem/router. Check your firewall to make sure it is not blocking that port. or shut down your firewall for temp time and try to renew. Do not leave your firewall shutdown for very long. Two: my cable modem/router needed to be reset. A reset fix the problem Three: my cable modem/router was bad due to a lightening strike when I was at work. I had the cable company replace the modem/router and problem fix. Four: I really did have a bad nic....and that does not happen very much these days. But still it can happen...even on good days. Hope this helps you out a little.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.