IP will not set to recognize router 1

[jctech]

I have a cable modem hooked to a linksys BEFSX41 router and then to three computers. Two computers connect but the third does not. I have interchanged cables and network cards, but it still will not connect. I have tried ipconfig /release, but it will not work. I can change the IP to static and ping the router with success, but that is all I can do. I have looked at the registry and even modified it to match one of the "Good" computers which is a Dell 8200 running XP home addition and is identical except it is 5 months older. When I reboot it defaults to an IP 169.254.208.36 and is useless. Any suggestions?

 

[Ntr0P]

Sounds like the DHCP Client has become corrupted or is missing. Do a repair of your XP installation.

Boot from the XP CD

At the Setup screen - Press enter (NOT R for repair)

PgDn and press F8 for the Licensing screen

Select the XP installed location and press R to repair

Setup will copy install files and then reboot the machine DON'T REBOOT FROM THE CD. Let it boot from the hard drive.

When it is done the process, remove the CD and reboot normally.

 

[globalstrata]

Sometimes APIPA (Auto assigned 169.x.x.x range IPs create problems with computers) There is a registry that you can change to disable this and then just reboot the computer.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tr...prodtechnol/winxppro/reskit/prjj_ipa_eiih.asp

Gladys Rodriguez
GlobalStrata Solutions

http://www.globalstrata.com

 

[TheOldMan346]

APIPA only comes into play when DHCP fails. Disabling APIPA will result in an IP address of 0.0.0.0.

I would try NtrOP's suggestion.

The Old Man

 

[jctech]

Tried the repair. I was a bit confused. The message said "DON'T REBOOT FROM THE CD." When the machine restarted it forced you to use the CD. Then the message read "remove the CD and reboot normally". I did get the installation done, but the problem is still there. Should I try to disable the APIPA? I read the link and it sounds like my problem. My only question is the last subkey it wants you to edit, \interface-name, is not listed. I noticed it was in italics and I'm sure this means something. I'm still learning, so bear with me. I do appreciate your responses and the knowledge that comes with it. Thanks.

 

[TheOldMan346]

jctech,

If you're able to ping when the IP address is static, then the networking components are basically sound. I would guess you are only able to ping the router because you did not set the default gateway and DNS server addresses. DHCP would normally populate these fields.

If the Internet Connection Firewall is turned on or you are running ZoneAlarm, Kerio or any other Personal Firewall software, make sure the router's address is in the trusted address group.

Also check your anti-virus software. Some [I think PC-Cillin, for example] includes a function to block certain types of packets like a firewall.

If you are running any of these, you can just try shutting these off temporarily. Then open a command prompt and do an
"IPCONFIG /RELEASE"
"IPCONFIG /RENEW"
and see if DHCP is able to pick up an address. If so, then adjust the firewall.

Here are more resources for troubleshooting the networking:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314067

Good luck.
The Old Man

 

[globalstrata]

Microsoft has published the fact that APIPA sometimes creates problems. Actually on the Microsoft web site there are multiple articles that recommend that APIPA should be disabled in medium to large networks.

Now related to his problems, I have ran into this problem many time and actually Microsoft has an article named Routing Does Not Work When Multiple Adapters Use Automatic Private IP Addressing Simultaneously that can be found at:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;244268&

Gladys Rodriguez - MCSE, MCP+I, CCNA, CCDA
GlobalStrata Solutions

http://www.globalstrata.com

 

[TheOldMan346]

globalstrata,

You're right. APIPA can mask other problems thereby causing them to go undetected. Turning it off is generally a good idea.

MS describes APIPA in

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q220874

:
==========
Windows Me/98/2000 have a feature called Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA). With this feature, a Windows Me/98/2000 computer can assign itself an Internet Protocol (IP) address in the event that a DHCP server is not available or does not exist on the network.
==========

As for the article you mentioned, the difficulty appears to arise when the system is multi-homed and more than one of the interfaces is using an APIPA assigned address AND both of the following conditions exist:
1. More than one of the interfaces is using an address in the same APIPA subnet
AND
2. The interfaces are connected to different physical networks.

This does not sound like the condition jctech describes. There is no mention of multiple interfaces or separate networks. I would lean to the simpler condition, which I have seen with an increasing frequency with the popularity of personal firewall software.

The Old Man

 

[jctech]

FINALLY FIXED!!!
I will list what I did in order.
1. Repaired twice with XP boot disk - didn't work
2. uninstalled ZoneAlarm - didn't work
3. Disabled APIPA - didn't work, but McAfee version 7.0 (virus scan only) took forever to load.
4. Uninstalled McAfee and finally success.
Don't know if I had removed McAfee first if that would have corrected it or if a combination of things happened to cause my problems.
Thanks to everyone for the help. I will make sure to send others to this site.

 

[TheOldMan346]

jctech,

Glad it worked for you!

Just as an additional note - ZoneAlaram is notorious for not fully uninstalling. Just do a search on the MS Knowledgebase for ZoneLabs or ZoneAlarm. There are numerous hits. Don't know if it was McAfee, ZoneAlarm or some combination but hopefully it will help you for the future.

Good luck.
The Old Man