I am working on a HP laptop that gets a limited or no connection status when i hook it to the DSL modem via CAT5. I took it home to work on it and connected it to my cable modem network (cat 5)and get the same error. It says that the network did not assign a network ip address. it shows the IP to be 168.254.68.91 with gateway of 255.255.0.0. It does not renew the IP. I tried installing a wireless USB card and connect it to my wireless network, same problem. Thanks for your help in advance, Joe

Hooking a pc up to the modem doesn't always work because the ISP could be mapping the mac address of the registered equipment [pc or router] Since your mac address doesn't match you are denied ip/access. Simple test is ,if you know the ip range, to do a static assignment to the nic. Give a person a fish, they eat for a day. Suggest they internet search and they learn a skill for a lifetime.

I do plan on trying this on my network at home as soon as i get her power cable. The battery is almost gone. But one thing i didnt mention was she had her laptop working on her DSL for about 5 days. then on the 6th day it started this problem. I assume that her DSL connection renews periodocially, so if i am able to get it working by static connection, will i not have to set her static IP everytime they reset it? Once i go get her power cable i will repost with the results of the static ip. Thanks, Joe

*wow, what a typo... periodocially should have been periodically* =-]

under those circumstances I would suspect virus or spyware infection is causing the problem. the static assignment, under these circumstances, should either work or cause you to get a error saying duplicate ip address [which is good since you go on the network] This static ip is for testing purposes only. It tests if its a ip or hardware. If you connect or get a error then you know the hardware is OK. Then you look at the tcp/ip stack/software issues. Shame you don't have a home router as this would be easier/better to test with. Give a person a fish, they eat for a day. Suggest they internet search and they learn a skill for a lifetime.

DSL usually registers the MAC address of the NIC in the computer. If you move a computer from one network to another then you must register the MAC address on the new network. This is done thru your ISP. Until this is done you will be denied an IP address. Some configurations work by typing OCA in the address bar of the browser but only on a DSL system. You should be taken to a screen where you can register the MAC address. If all else fails then call your ISP and find out why you cannot pull an ISP from them. Hope this makes sense.

I have had this problem. I got help from here: http://www.chicagotech.net/ipconfig.htm#Cant%20obtain/renew%20IP%20addresses%20from%20the%20DHCP%20server 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. 9) Make sure you don't run out of IPs in the DHCP scope. 10) If you use a router as DHCP, you may want to upgrade the firmware. 11) Modify hardware settings such as speed and duplex. 12) Make sure hardware Mac control enable. I use the following commands to help resolve this issue: ipconfig /flushdns netsh int ip reset ip_Reset.txt Good luck