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unable to contact dhcp server

88K views 42 replies 5 participants last post by  2xg 
#1 ·
I've been chasing this problem on and off for about three months with limited results.
I lost my internet connection, and I get the following message, "unable to contact your DHCP server".
This occurred after a system reboot and I have been unable to get this computer back online since that time.
At the time it went down my security software was reporting a virus that it could not remove, but that had been going on for a week or so and it didn't seem to be causing any system problems.
I later took the computer to a professional who scanned and cleaned it, and replaced the security program with a different one, AVG 9.0.
At the time I lost connection I contacted my DSL provider, after performing some service tests the tech pronounced the problem to be on my end.
At that point I got out my backup computer, which also runs on WinXP SP3 on a somewhat older platform, and it connected with no problem.
I than swapped the hard drives between the two computers. The backup drive, now in the computer which origanily had been giving me trouble, connected without a problem.
It was at this time, I took the infected drive to be scanned.
Since that time I have been following threads on various forums without much luck.
I have only gotten a connection twice. The first time was before I got the router, I was swapping the cable from one computer to the other and I got connection but it only lasted until I did a reboot. I decided
the Bad Boy had hijacked the IP address that had been assigned to the other computer.
Shortly after adding the router I was able to get online again, this time through the router, after reinstalling the Ethernet Adapter I was able to get online for 4 or 5 hours and did several reboots as I was trying to establish home sharing for Itunes and also printer sharing, I was unsuccessful with both, The only significant event on the last reboot was that Windows installed a bunch of updates. That was three weeks ago.
Since than I have had no luck whatsoever. The system can't find the router nor will it connect directly through the modem either.

Some of the things I have tried are as follows:
swapped cables around
bought a new modem
changed to a different NIC
ran netsh int ip reset
ran netsh winsock reset
ran LSPfix
ran winsockxpfix
pinged 127.0.0.1 (results below)
uninstalled and reinstalled Ethernet Services
tried safe start with network services
tried partial clean boot (probably same as above)
checked all settings suggested in the threads
compaired settings and registry keys to working computer
I'm at my wits end on this any help would be appreciated.
system info:
WinXP SP3 Home Edition running on a Pentium D 3.4GHz Duo Core
Modem: Motorola 2210 DSL-wired connection
Router: Linksys befsr41-wired connection
Via Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter
IP service is DHL running on ppoe protocol
Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIOLA
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 11:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter #3
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-16-EC-24-2E-6B
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration IP Address. . . : 169.254.104.7
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
C:\Documents and Settings\Default>ipconfig /release
Windows IP Configuration
 
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 11:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.0.0.0
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.0.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
C:\Documents and Settings\Default>ipconfig /renew
Windows IP Configuration
An error occurred while renewing interface Local Area Connection 11 : unable to contact your DHCP se
rver. Request has timed out.
C:\Documents and Settings\Default>
 
C:\Documents and Settings\Default>ping 127.0.0.1
Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
C:\Documents and Settings\Default>
WinSock Diagnostic
WinSock status
info
All base service provider entries are present in the Winsock catalog.
info
The Winsock Service provider chains are valid.
info
Provider entry MSAFD Tcpip [TCP/IP] passed the loopback communication test.
info
Provider entry MSAFD Tcpip [UDP/IP] passed the loopback communication test.
info
Provider entry RSVP UDP Service Provider passed the loopback communication test.
info
Provider entry RSVP TCP Service Provider passed the loopback communication test.
info
Connectivity is valid for all Winsock service providers.
Network Adapter Diagnostic
Network location detection
info
Using home Internet connection
Network adapter identification
info
Network connection: Name=Local Area Connection 9, Device=VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter #3,
MediaType=LAN,
SubMediaType=LAN
info
Ethernet connection selected
Network adapter status
info
Network connection status: Connected
HTTP, HTTPS, FTP Diagnostic
HTTP, HTTPS, FTP connectivity
warn
HTTP: Error 12007 connecting to Microsoft Corporation The server name or address could not be resolved
warn
HTTPS: Error 12007 connecting to Microsoft Corporation The server name or address could not be resolved
warn
FTP (Passive): Error 12007 connecting to ftp.microsoft.com: The server name or address could not be resolved
warn
HTTP: Error 12007 connecting to Sign In The server name or address could not be resolved
warn
HTTPS: Error 12007 connecting to www.passport.net: The server name or address could not be resolved
warn
FTP (Active): Error 12007 connecting to ftp.microsoft.com: The server name or address could not be resolved
error
Could not make an HTTP connection.
error
Could not make an HTTPS connection.
error
Could not make an FTP connection.
 
 
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#2 ·
Go into Control Panel and right click on your local area network connection, go to Properties, double click TCP/IP. Make sure Obtain IP address automatically & Obtain DNS automatically are checked off. Under Alternate Config tab, select Automatic Private IP Address.

Click Advanced on the General tab Under IP Address do you see DHCP enabled?

In Device Manager under Network Adapters - any exclamations or more than one NC listed?

Have you power cycled the modem & router? Considered resetting the router to defaults?
 
#3 ·
Double checked and confirmed, these are the settings I have been using.
I currently two NIC's listed neither has ever reported a problem.
The second one, I recently added in case the on-board one had some kind of unreported problem. The on-board is currently disabled.
As I stated in my original post I was able once to get online by reinstalling the NIC. That was when I was using the on-board NIC, I have since been unable to repeat that success.
Thanks for your input.
 
#6 ·
Yes that is the whole point of a repair install. It leaves the data intact but refreshes the OS file system. You will need to do all of the service pack updates after doing the repair.

I would suggest you web search xp repair install for the step by step how to.

Good luck!
 
#8 ·
<P>No Joy!</P>
<P>Finished the xp repair install and I am still getting a 169 address, release and renew produced the same result, "unable to contact your dhcp server".</P>
<P>Ran network wizard then checked tcp/ip settings the'ir OK, reports,  "limited or no connectivity".</P>
<P>Ran LinkSys router installation disk, reports, "unable to find router".</P>
<P>Am really a loss on what to do next.</P>
 
#12 ·
And just to make sure, after restarting the modem and connecting your PC, you did an IPconfig /renew, correct?

I would start from scratch. Connect another computer directly to modem to verify modem works. If any errors, verify DOCIS version of modem with protocol your ISP is using.

Completely uninstall all network cards, reboot, download latest drivers for a known working card with another PC and start over. Remove any unnecessary networking protocols.

Test one of these cards in another box or take a known working card from a different PC.

Forget the router and do all tests connected directly to the modem.

Try again in Safe Mode with Networking.

Try booting to a bootable CD like a Linux disc or Wndows UBCD. Both can enable basic networking functions and connect you online, bypassing WinXP all together.

Turn off all antivirus, firewalls, peer blocks, check your hosts file for rogue entries.

Lastly, are you sure your system is clean of viruses and malware?

My gut tells me the error is software/settings related in XP, but that's hard to tell from here.
 
#11 ·
When I ping I get the following results;
Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
I take this to mean that I have connectivity.
Would that be correct?
 
#14 · (Edited)
<P>Re: Fred Garvin:<BR></P>
<P>1st? Yes a couple of times.<BR> <BR>2nd? I am currently using the modem through the router from my backup computer, I have had uninterrupted Internet from this computer both before and after the addition of the router. I added the router to avoid the hassle of swapping cables back and forth.<BR> <BR>3rd? I have reinstalled drivers several times, I have even gong in and deleted all copies of the drivers from the system to insure win didn't just retain the same driver. make that one more time I loaded from the disk I got with the motherboard. note (this platform worked flawlessly for about a month when I had the hard drive from my backup computer in it). As for the protocols tell me where to find and identify them and I will remove them.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>4th? See above.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>5th? I've pretty much done all that, I worked this problem for weeks before I had the router. As for the router I know it is good and the settings are correct, it should be easy to connect to, yet the problem box can't do it even without the other computer connected.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>6th? I tried again safe mode with networking. No luck. </P>
<P> </P>
<P>7th? Don't any OS disks to do that with at this time.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>8th? i've turned off antivirus and firewalls, not sure about peer blocks and hosts, but am looking for new ideas here, tell me where to look and what look for and I'll do it.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Lastly, No I'm not sure, it was clear my last antivirus program wasn't it's job, but</P>
<P>the guy that swept it thought it was. He recommend AVG and loaded it on the hard drive since then it has been online twice and both times I updated AVG.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>I think your gut is right. The question is where is it hiding. But remember I do have a working computer also running XP I can make comparison checks if I know where to look.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Thanks for your time;</P>
<P>Ken </P>
<P> </P>
<P> </P>
 
#16 ·
Click the Start button then right click on My Computer and Select Manage. Scroll down to Services and look for DHCP Client on the right side. Status should be started and set to Automatic.

I would do all testing connected directly to the modem so as to rule out any interference with the router.

I think you did this already, but, at a command prompt type netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt and hit enter.

Did you check the back of your NIC to look for lights as Wanderer suggested?
 
#17 ·
For the sake of clearity I'll try that last post again.
Re: Fred Garvin:

1st? Yes a couple of times.

2nd? I am currently using the modem through the router from my backup computer, I have had uninterrupted Internet from this computer both before and after the addition of the router. I added the router to avoid the hassle of swapping cables back and forth.

3rd? I have reinstalled drivers several times, I have even gone in and deleted all copies of the drivers from the system to insure Win didn't just install the same driver. make that one more time I loaded from the disk I got with the motherboard this time; note (this platform worked flawlessly for about a month when I had the hard drive from my backup computer in it). As for the protocols tell me where to find and identify them and I will remove them.

4th? See above.

5th? I've pretty much done all that, I worked this problem for weeks before I had the router. As for the router I know it is good and the settings are correct, it should be easy to connect to, yet the problem box can't do it even without the other computer connected.

6th? I tried again safe mode with networking. No luck.

7th? Don't have any OS disks to do that with at this time.

8th? I've turned off antivirus and firewalls, not sure about peer blocks and hosts, but am looking for new ideas here, tell me where to look and what look for and I'll do it.
Lastly, No I'm not sure, it was clear my last antivirus program wasn't doing it's job, but the guy that swept it thought it was. He recommend AVG and loaded it on the hard drive since then it has been online twice and both times I updated AVG.

I think your gut is right. The question is where is it hiding. But remember I do have a working computer also running XP I can make comparison checks if I know where to look.

Thanks for your time;
Ken
 
#18 ·
Re: Fred Gavin & Wand3r3r:
DHCP Client is started and set to Automatic
Connected directly to modem and ran netsh and rebooted, no go.
There are two lights next to the onboard lan connector on the back of the computer, the top is yellow bottom is green.
Can't find any info on them in the mother board manual.
The mother board is a ECS P4M800PRO-M
All the lights on the modem and router are green.
Yes I've swapped cables around so much it's a wonder I havn't worn the ends off them, but essentially all the cables in use now are well proven.
Thanks for hanging with me on this, am going to put it up for the night.
Lost my connection on the working computer after the last test yesterday, but I'm back up this morning.
Ken
 
#20 ·
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.
C:\Documents and Settings\ken>ipconfig /all
Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : KENNETH
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0C-76-BE-42-CF
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.100
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, March 11, 2011 7:57:56 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, March 12, 2011 7:57:56 AM
C:\Documents and Settings\ken>
 
#24 ·
I'm at a loss... The static IP idea is a good one.

I was just re-reading the original post and realized you are using a DSL connection. I don't have much experience with DSL, but isn't PPPoE & a username and password required? Not sure if that's setup in the router and taken care of on the WAN side - router to modem - but if you bypass the router, I'd assume you need those settings addressed on your PC.
 
#25 ·
If the static IP idea doesn't work, and barring any other suggestions, I'd do this. Connect directly to the modem and setup a new connection. Go into Control Panel >>Network Connections >> New Connection Wizard>>Connect to the Internet and setup a new connection Manually >> Connect to the internet using a connection requiring a password. Then fill in your ISP & PW info.
 
#26 ·
Re:Fred Garvin & Wand3r3r

I must be off my nut ! I just realized I gave Wand3r3r the ipconfig off the working machine, here is the proper one.


Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.
C:\Documents and Settings\Default>ipconfig /all
Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : VIOLA
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 13:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter #3
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-16-EC-24-2E-6B
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration IP Address. . . : 169.254.104.7
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
C:\Documents and Settings\Default>

My Ip doesn't require a password.
I've tried to connect to the router using a static assignment before but i'm not sure I had the numbers correct I'll try again wuth your #s. But the machine won't even ping the router.
In any case ppoe protocol requires all settings be automatic.
I found and checked the hosts fils, compared them to the good machine, the'ir identical.


 
#29 ·
Re:Fred Garvin & Wand3r3r
I must be off my nut ! I just realized I gave Wand3r3r the ipconfig off the working machine, here is the proper one.
That's what he wanted, posting both is good.... I'm just grabbing at straws here and posting my thoughts.

If installing another hard drive (which has windows installed) in the problem computer gets you connected with no problems or dropouts, then your hardware - modem, router, NIC card are OK. You could try another card, but I don't see the point if the cards in the problem PC work when you swap drives.

The Windows repair install would have re-installed any corrupt Windows system files and appropriately registered them in the Registry. You could always run the System File checker at a command prompt -> SFC /Scannow

NETSH is the same as re-installing TCP/IP and it writes a couple values to the registry, and DHCP client is enabled.

If you do install the good drive into the bad computer, the only thing I could suggest is looking at all the network connection settings, by either writing them down or taking screen captures and comparing to the bad PC.

On the problem PC, click Start, Run, then type REGEDIT. Don't change anything, but navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netbt\Parameters\ is there a value on the right called EnableProxy ? If so, what is the value under the heading Data.
 
#27 ·
Re; Fred Gavin post 321
I've tried that many times using the IP service setup disk and using the Win setup wizard and i've probably run the lan repair 100 times and still nothing works.
I've checked every setup option I know about and can find nothing out of wack, it sure looks like a hardware problem, but my gut is telling me it's in the registry.
If all else fails I'll move the good hard drive back into the troublemaker to prove the platform, but I sure hate to do it.
 
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