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- Unable to obtain IP Address

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08-17-2011 09:08 AM
I fixed a friends laptop with XP Home, it needed a new hard drive and Windows reinstalled.
All service packs, updates, etc... were installed and I had no problem connecting to my home network, both wired and wireless. I gave it back to him and he said that he couldn't connect to his home network either wired or wireless, he keeps getting an 'Unable to obtain IP Address' error. He gave it back to me and I tried it on my network again and everything worked fine. It just won't work on HIS network and he's giving me attitude like I messed up his computer.
It would seem that the problem is with HIS network but he says the other computers on his network [Windows 7] can connect fine.
What are some troubleshooting steps I can take to try and fix this?
Maybe whoever set up his router enabled MAC address filtering? Would that cause a 'Unable to obtain IP Address' error? Thanks for any help.
Solved! Go to Solution.
Accepted Solutions
08-19-2011 08:40 AM
I was able to fix the "unable to obtain ip address" error by going to a command prompt and typing:
ipconfig /release [then enter]
ipconfig /renew [then enter]
08-18-2011 06:22 PM
Hi,
I believe that it's a problem with his router. Tell him that he should reboot (reset might be also applied) his router and the laptop should connect to his network without problems. I have seen the error many times myself on my laptops and solved it by a reboot of the router..
HP Touchpad provided by HP
HP Microserver Gen8 10TB Debian Server
*Please, help other users with the same issue by marking your solved topics as "Accept as Solution"*
08-18-2011 06:27 PM
Thanks, yes, we did try rebooting his router and laptop. I was able to stop the "unable to obtain IP address" by using ipconfig /renew but now I get a "limited or no connectiviy". I suspect his adapters security settings don't match his routers. I will be checking that next and disabling security on his router [temporarily] to see if it makes a difference.
08-19-2011 04:19 AM
Some computers/wireless cards have a compatibility issue with some routers. I couldn't connect my laptop to a public network on linux and when I rebooted to Windows, I could connect but had the same limited connectivity problem. I have an Intel Ultimate-N 6300 with the newest intel drivers and BT Openzone or my home network work well..
HP Touchpad provided by HP
HP Microserver Gen8 10TB Debian Server
*Please, help other users with the same issue by marking your solved topics as "Accept as Solution"*
01-17-2012 06:09 PM
Here's how to set up printer sharing properly with Vista & Win7:
Hope that helps.
