there are multiple IP address conficts detected? I have a new Gateway PC that suddenly lost internet connectivity. I installed a new NIC and it still won't connect. I know the line is good b/c I plugged it up to the ethernet cable in my office, and my computer on the same cable is able to connect. I can ping 127.0.0.1. I am able to ping the gateway and other computers with a static IP configured, but not if I set it to obtain an IP. Either way, it won't connect. I know DHCP is working b/c it works on other PC's in the office. The DNS address is the same as every other PC in the office. Ipconfig /all with DHCP enabled shows an address in the 169.254.0.1 - 169.254.255.254 range with a subnet of 255.255.0.0. I know this is the IP that gets assigned if a DHCP server can't be found. I just don't know why it can't find a DHCP server. The same ethernet cable plugged into another computer with DHCP enabled connects fine. I ran "sfc /scannow" and that didn't help. I ran "netsh int ip reset" and that didn't help. I've downloaded the latest virus definition files and scanned the system. It comes up clean. I've removed every Microsoft update and hotfix. Nothing seems to help. Netdotnet is not installed. Everything I've tried won't fix the problem. Help!!

also, it is not set to go through a proxy server.

Go to Start, Run, type in CMD, hit enter and at command prompt type ipconfig /release (note space before slash), hit enter, then after that reponse type ipconfig /renew. Tell me what message you get after the latter entry.

I tried that before, but here's the message I get after I type ipconfig/renew: "An error occurred while renewing interface Local Area Connection : An operation was attempted on something that is not a socket." Hopefully you can tell me why I'm getting this message. Thanks.

Yes I can. And if you do this, it will work assuming all your other settings are set right. This has always worked for me, and is a common problem. If you are unfamiliar with the registry, forget the following. Pay close attention: Back up your registry. Important. (YOU'VE ALREADY DONE THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH) Go to the command prompt and type ipconfig /release (space after fig), then type ipconfig /renew. IF you get a message that says something like cannot connect because you are trying to reach a socket that doesn't work (this is not the exact message, but socket is the key word), then do this: (If you don’t get such a message, or if the renew solves the problem, stop here.) From a known good other computer, go into the registry (through regedit) and COPY the following two keys to a floppy: winsock and winsock2. DON'T delete them, just copy. They are found in HKLM, System, Current Control Set, Services. (You copy from the registry by highlighting the key and going to file, export, and export or copy them to the floppy. THEN go to your machine and delete the same two keys in the registry. THEN put the floppy to which you copied the earlier winsock keys in your drive A, click (or double click) on each of the two files -- winsock and winsock2 -- in turn. You will get a message saying something like 'do you want to add this to the registry'. Say yes or OK. Do both of them. That's it. Try connecting. Try ipconfig /release and renew. If you still can't connect, then there are other issues, and I don't have enough info to help.

Thanks, I followed the directions in Microsoft knowledge base article 817571(which were the same instructions you wrote) and it works. Sorry you had to write it all out, but thanks for pointing me in the right direction in your first post. Do you have any idea what causes this to happen?

Not a clue. And don't worry about my writing it out. I have it saved in Word because so many people have the same problem. I think it's just a bug in XP and since they have a KB article on it, you'd think they'd fix it. I could have pointed you to the article, but I thought it would help to have the step-by-step that worked for me, although their instructions are quite good.