"Wireless connection doesn't have a valid IP configuration"

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Proto

Legendary Member
Have drama with a PC at home. I use if for streaming to my TV, browsing, Spotify and so on. I've got a Belkin WiFi dongle thingee plugged in and it should pick up the house wifi from my BT hub.

I has been working perfectly for months but last week it decided it couldn't access the internet, It is showing as connected to the wifi hub, signal strength 'strong', but won't find the big outside world.

I get the error message "Wireless connection doesn't have a valid IP configuration" if I dig around in the Network Sharing Center page.

All the other devices in the house are working perfectly - iPad,. Macbook, phone etc

Any clues?
 

goo_mason

Champion barbed-wire hurdler
Location
Leith, Edinburgh
Have you been changing the DNS entries on the connection at all? I had a similar issue a few weeks back - all other devices and my laptop were connected to the net fine through my router, but the PC had no internet connection even though it was connected to the network and showing a full signal strength.

Turned out to be down to the DNS entries I had set up to access the 'Unblock-US' service I'd subscribed to in order to access any country's Netflix content. Unblock-US were having DNS issues, and as I was pointing at their server via a DNS entry I'd set up on the PC, the PC wasn't able to access the web because it was going through Unblock-Us's servers to get there, and they weren't connecting.

It's either that or the IP address of your PC is outside of the valid range of IP addresses your router has?
 
It could be devices are using conflicted IP addreses. If they are being dynamically created, you can reset your PC IP address (can't remember how off hand but google it)
 
Try running cmd and type netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt into the dos box that results then reboot.
Then check that none of your devices have the ip address for the network adapter they are using set to a fixed address rather than dynamically allocated by the router.
 
OP
OP
Proto

Proto

Legendary Member
Thanks for replies and advice. I poked around in the DNS entries and didn't get anywhere, so, for no good reason, took the wifi dongle out of one USB port and plugged it into another, and much to my surprise, the PC immediately found the network and established an internet connection. No idea why or how.
Thanks again.
 

PaulSB

Squire
Not with Wi Fi but with other USB items I have had the same thing. For example I have a small USB mouse which only works from one particular port on my personal laptop but works from any on my work laptop!! Mystery to me
 
OP
OP
Proto

Proto

Legendary Member
The connection to the wifi hub was never a problem, but I think it was failing to set up an IP address, which it should do automatically.

Removing and reinstalling possibly the dongle thingee allowed the device to connect properly and establish the correct settings, including IP address. Or something.

Can you tell that I'm way out of my depth!!
 
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