I'm trying to connect my Optimum Online cable modem to my pc via a Linksys LNE100TX nic. I've been having trouble getting the system to accept the ip from OOL. It keeps assigning a 169.xxx ip, meaning it can't or won't communicate with DHCP. All my network settings are correct as verified by OOL. I've tried releasing the ip using ipconfig /release, however it doesn't seem to work. It remains at 169.whatever instead of going to 0.0.0.0. I initially had the modem connected successfully via USB, however I want to network and share the connection eventually so I purchased the nic and began having these problems. The drivers are current and I've done several power cycles of the modem, pc etc. Any ideas?

quoted from http://www.ChicagoTech.net Can't obtain/renew IP addresses from the DHCP server Symptoms: 1) you have a DHCP client which may not be able to obtain/renew IP addresses from the DHCP server intermittently. 2) after setup a workstation to obtain an IP address from DHCP, the machine can't ping others and ipconfig /all shows Autoconfiguration IP Address. . . : 169.254.x.x. Resolutions: 1) If this is XP, obtain the latest service pack for Windows XP. 2) Use the Network Diagnostics tool to identify any failed settings. To do this, go to Help and Support>Use Tools to view your computer information and diagnose problems>Network Diagnostics>Scan your system. When the process finishes, check for any items marked "FAILED" in red, expand those categories, and view the additional details about what the testing showed. 3) Assign a static ip on the client and ping the DHCP server. If you can't ping the DHCP server, check the connection and hardware. 4) If you can ping the DHCP after assigning static ip, check the DHCP settings. 5) Make sure no firewall is running on your LAN. 6) Run Repair this connection if it is XP. Or use netsh to reset TCP/IP configuration. 7) If it is win98/w2k, remove and reinstall TCP/IP. 8) Try to upgrade the new NIC driver. For more tips or information, go to http://www.ChicagoTech.net Robert, MS-MVP/MCSE and CNE Networking, Internet, routing & VPN Support, Tips and FAQs on http://www.ChicagoTech.net