My HP laptop computer (Pavillion ze5400) suddenly stopped connecting to the internet. It has a Belkin adaptor card, connecting to the internet via a d-link dl-624 router. Everything seems to be working, but when I try to repair it it says no TCP/IP is available for this computer. I called d-link and got a not so knowledgeable person saying I need to contact HP and get a valid tcp/ip address. I doubt that this is so. Does anyone have any advice on how I can fix up things?
Did you power everything down and up. Power the modem then router up first and wait a minute or so, then power up the computer. Check all cables.
The advise you were given was a little bit of insanity. "Just have them ship you a new TCP/IP address. " Hah!
I am assuming you are using DHCP to get an address rather than inputting a static IP address.
I would first click on START>RUN and in the window that pops up type “CMD” (no quotes and capitalization does not matter…just using caps to make it more clear here). A window will open with a text prompt. Type “IPCONFIG /RELEASE”. Once the computer seems ready for you to type again type “IPCONFIG /RENEW”.
This will tell your computer to toss whatever IP address it currently has and then ask for a new one. Again this assumes you are setup for DHCP (which is most commonly how PCs get their address). If the renew address fails then your connection is bad or DHCP server (probably your router) is down. Check for link lights on your network interface card (NIC) and at the router it is plugged in to. If both have link lights then something is wrong with the configuration (probably…I have seen link lights on bad connections before but obvious things first).
If the DHCP renew failed check the settings on your NIC to see it is setup for DHCP (START>SETTINGS>NETWORK CONNECTIONS [in WindowsXP]). Right click on your network connection and selcet PROPERTIES on the menu that pops up. Select INTERNET PROTOCOL (TCP/IP) and press the PROPERTIES button. In there is will show if you are using DHCP or have a static address set. If it is a static address come back and tell us and we’ll try the next thing. If it is DHCP and it is all still busted come back and we can suggest other things to check.
You are correct to doubt that…it is so absurd if I heard a tech support guy saying that I’d immediately ask for the next level of support as obviously that guy is more a hinderance than a help.
I doubt this is actually what it said, as it does not make sense. Give us the exact error message so that we can give you exact advice, otherwise you’re likely to have no better luck than you’ve already had with tech support.
However, your instincts are correct in that it is unlikely in the extreme that you could call HP and “get a new IP address.” The vast majority of residential customers receive IP addresses automatically from a pool when they connect to the internet, without any conscious action on their part. It is possible to call a company and get what is called a static IP address, but this is always requested from an internet provider, not the company that sold you the computer (unless your computer company is also an ISP). So basically, whoever told you this was so far off the script that they’re basically, as we say in the industry, “making shit up”.
Thanks for all the advice. I will be sure to save it in case this ever happens again. As I was waiting to hear back from you guys I decided to restore the computer to Feb. 10, and when I did I was up and running. I don’t know what happened, but the restore function of XP fixed it.