Click2web - 169 IP Address


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'169' IP Address

Losing your internet connection with your computer defaulting to an IP address in the range '169.254.xxx.xxx' (XP+ may report 'limitied or no connectivity') is a very common and exacerbating problem and can be rather hit & miss to repair. Read through the fixes below then work through them 'carefully', Try a few of the simpler ones first, this is not a step-by-step guide, any one fix may work for you. If they don't work then check with your ISP to see if they have any network problems such as a CNR (Cisco Network Register) issue before continuing with the more advanced fixes. If you can't find a feature on your computer then your operating system probably doesn't support it.

Why does this happen? [Click here for more info]

Fixes

First of all - Reboot everything! If that doesn't work then continue.....

Windows

You cannot, usually, release a 169.x.x.x IP address or 'get' a new one with the Repair or Renew feature, it doesn't know what connection to repair other than the 169.x.x.x one and so will nearly always return a fresh 169.x.x.x. It could be worth a try all the same though:

Win 98/ME: Click Start/Run, type winipcfg and click OK.
Select your adapter from the drop-down and click Release All then Renew All.

Win XP/2K: Click Start/Run, type cmd and click OK.
Type ipconfig /release then press Enter.
Type ipconfig /renew then press Enter.

Right-click on the adapter (in your Device Manager) and Disable it. Wait a few seconds then Enable it. This starts the dhcp client and tries to obtain an IP from the connected network.

In the properties of the connection, Enable (or Disable) one of the protocals besides tcp/ip such as QoS packet scheduler and click 'ok'. Repeat the process to Re-enable/Disable the protocol.

Open Control Panel/Adminstrative Tools/Services and click Restart on the Dhcp client.

Open Control Panel/Adminstrative Tools/Services and click Stop on the Dhcp client.
Reboot PC then restart the Dhcp client.

Click on 'start' then 'run', type the following: netsh int ip reset log.txt
Click 'ok'

If your Operating System supports it then try a 'System Restore'. (Win ME and Win XP have this as standard).

Uninstall then reinstall your ethernet adapter (or USB drivers) in Device Manager.

Cable Connection Fix (only works if modem has internal IP):
Turn off cable modem and PC.
Remove CAT5 feed cable from cable modem.
Restart cable modem then PC.
When both are fully booted, (IP should now begin with 192) power them off again.
Reconnect CAT5 feed cable to cable modem.
Restart cable modem then PC.

If you get a 192 IP address with the CAT5 removed and a 169 with it connected then contact your ISP.

Windows 98 has a feature called IP Autoconfiguration. When the installed NIC is not being used it defaults to DHCP. When you log onto a network it then attempts to find a DHCP service. If it can't find one the IP Autoconfig feature kicks in and assigns it a random ClassB IP address using the subnet 169.254.x.x .
The registry key for this is located at : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VXD\DHCP\Dhcpinfo00
The key value is AutoIPConfigurationAddress.
1. Load the Windows 98 CD
2. On the CD....go to \Tools\MTSutil folder
3. Find the file ipac_off.inf......right click on it and choose INSTALL
4. Reboot
This effectively turns off the IP Autoconfiguration and gets rid of that problem. There is also an ipac_on.inf file there if for some reason you want to turn the service back on.

Repair Winsock and Winsock2 registry keys: Method 1

Download and run the WinsockFix program .

This program will reset all the settings back to a default state...that means any RWin MTU DNS IP will all be gone. But the connection should be fixed and once these settings are re-entered the system will be 100%.

Repair Winsock and Winsock2 registry keys: Method 2

Step 1: Delete registry keys

Using Regedit, go to both of the following keys, export each of them as backups, then delete keys from registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2

Restart the computer

NOTE: It is important to restart the computer after deleting the Winsock keys. Doing so causes the XP operating system to recreate shell entries for those two keys. If this is not done, the next step does not work correctly.

Step 2: Install TCP/IP on top of itself

Open the properties window of the network connection
Click Install
Click Protocol, then Add
Select TCP/IP and click OK
(You may need to click Have Disk. Then type C:\\Windows\\inf and click OK.
Then on the list of available protocols, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click OK)
Restart the computer
When the computer reboots you should have functional Winsock keys

NOTE: If the network connection properties contained more than the following three items: Client for Microsoft Networks, File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks, and TCP/IP, then the additional items may need to be removed in order to restore browsing. If those items are needed they can be reinstalled. The reason for removing them is due to those items placing entries into the Winsock keys and those entries will no longer be there.

Repair Winsock and Winsock2 registry keys: Method 3

In Device Manager, Open your Network Adapter section and disable all devices.
Using Regedit, go to both of the following keys, export each of them as backups, then delete keys from registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2
Take a copy from a clean install of those two registry tables from another machine, and import them to the troubled machine.
Click on 'start' then 'run', type the following: netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt. Click 'ok'.
Re-enable the devices in Device manager.
Do another netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt as above.
Reboot.

Move NIC

Some people have reported that, as a last resort they have moved the NIC (Ethernet card) in the problematic computer to another pci slot. This has fixed the problem.

MAC

Click on Apple Menu > Control Panels > TCP/IP > Change "Connect via" to PPP and "Configure Using" to PPP Server - then change back to "Connect via" to "Ethernet" and "Configure using" to "DHCP Server"

Click on Special > Shut Down (with Finder in the top righthand corner). Then unplug the ethernet cable from the Mac. Shut down and restart modem as normal. Reconnect ethernet cable. Turn Mac back on.

Click on Apple Menu > Control Panel > Apple Talk and ensure this is 'Inactive'. If this is 'Active' then set to 'Inactive' and close and save the changes.

Hard Drive > System Folder > Preferences > TCP/IP Preferences. Drag to bin. Special (top menu) >click on Empty Trash>Special (top menu) > Restart. Re-input the connection details (via Ethernet) in TCP/IP control panel Restart the Mac (you may need to do this several times)

Notes

Routers v Hubs - Most ISPs will give you a single IP address. If you use a hub, then both computers are competing for the single address. Typically the first one to request the IP address will win, and be able to work, leaving the other PC with no connection and probably a '169' address. The solution is to get a router. A broadband router will take the single IP address for itself, and then hand out multiple local IP addresses to all the computers connected to it.

Firewall and Anti-Virus software - Check that these programs are installed correctly and are not blocking DHCP. You may need to disable or uninstall these programs while trying any of the above fixes.

Spyware - Check that you have no 'Spyware' on your computer. Removal of some Spyware can cause your WinSocks to become corrupted so be careful.

Ethernet cable - Check that you are using the correct cable (crossover or straight-through). Take the two ends of the cable and put them side by side, facing the same direction. Then from left to right compare the colors of the wires in the two ends. If two colors have switched order in one of the ends then you have a crossover cable.

Many Ethernet cards make the metal connection between the cable and the card via four metal prongs inside the socket where you insert the cable-plug. If one of the prongs is bent so that is does not make contact with the cord, for example, the card may send information, but not receive.

Please Note: All information on this page is given in good faith. Click2web accepts no responsibilty for any problems arising from using these fixes. We offer no guarantees. All of these fixes have worked with varying degrees of success. If in doubt then please contact a computer technician for help.

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