Q&A: How do I resolve this IP acquisition error?

Question by : How do I resolve this IP acquisition error?
For the billionth time in my experiences in networking PC’s running Windows XP (SP3), I’ve encountered a nasty “network did not assign an IP” error from Windows’ networking client.

As always, the questions are ‘why’ and ‘what do I do’. Here’s a summary of what’s happened so far, with some quick system diagnostics.

The PC in question has been dormant for about two years. Before it was stored, it apparently worked fine when the modem was connected directly to its ethernet port, but not when the connection was through the household router. Now that we are trying to revive the system, it refuses to connect in any way, no matter what the setup.

The system has been tested on two known good networks, both with frequent WLAN activity, one with no other ethernet workstations, and one that is only wired physically to an Xbox 360.

The system had a number of bits of malware, so it was swept with Malwarebytes Antimalware and reset with a Winsock repair tool, but to no avail.

When the IP settings are automatic, I will get the “IP not assigned” error, but if it is manually configured:

IP – 192.168.1.2
Def. Gateway – 255.255.0.0
Subnet – 192.168.1.2

it shows a valid connection, but still refuses to connect to the internet.

Just for the heck of it, I made sure that registry item HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/Currentcontrolset/Control/Lsa/Restrictanonymous was set to ’0′. It was.

Here is the ipconfig /all:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : *anonymized*
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : Yes
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 802.11g Wireless LAN PCI Card
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-13-F7-3A-BA-99
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration IP Address. . . : 169.254.66.80
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 169.254.66.80

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-11-D8-25-A5-C6

I’m desperate for someone who can help, so ask as many questions as you would like. Google wouldn’t help me today. Thanks in advance!
That registry item that got cut off in my question is

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/
Currentcontrol/Control/
Lsa/restrictanonymous

As some extra info, the DHCP Client service is running properly, and all recent drivers are installed correctly. The device manager shows no problems. This problem persists even after trying a wireless card in the system.
Pardon me for mixing up the gateway and subnet in my question, but they are set correctly on the computer.

I changed the gateway to 192.168.1.1, but the same thing happened. The computer started dumping packets into the network and losing them all.
Trying to renew the IP on the LAN just times out. But, again, the system has been tried with multiple working networks (ergo diff. modems/routers), so could it really be both networks?

By the way, I’m attempting both LAN and wireless card access, and I get similar results with both.
Resetting the router to default seemed to open up the packet exchange, and got both wired and wireless connections to get an IP address. However, I still cannot access the internet with IE. For some reason, FF will jump right on the connection, but I’ve still got my problems, since the whole purpose for fixing the connection was to run a Windows upgrade advisor, which also refuses to recognize the connection. Any ideas?
I’ve tried uninstalling a McAfee firewall that was on the computer, as well as lowering the Windows firewall to the lowest setting, but that didn’t work.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear, but I was up all night trying to resolve this issue, which is why I accidentally mixed up the labels for subnet and gateway in my question, but not in my mind. There’s no need to get snippy.

I never made any registry edits (I’m aware what the registry is, how it works, and when to leave it alone), I simply looked at an item that someone else has had a problem with in the past, and saw what it was set to.

Best answer:

Answer by Jexter
IP – 192.168.1.2
Def. Gateway – 255.255.0.0
Subnet – 192.168.1.2

You have interachange the gateway and the subnet. And your gateway should be 192.168.1.1. It should not be the same as the one that you are going to assign to your computer…

additional…I forgot to ask, are you trying to get IP using wireless adapter or using the ethernet adapter? Try to connect first using ethernet set your adapter to obtain automatic IP and you should get IP if you commnad renew. If you don’t get IP then there is no DHCP server. If that is the case try to reset your router to factory setting…goodluck…jexter@eastern.com.ph

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