Cannot obtain IP Address Automatically Anymore

[Guest]

DELL Inspiron 1100 - Windows XP Pro - Simple File Sharing disabled - Wired
LinkSys Router with DHCP enabled - Specified a range of 8 IP addresses in
router to handle the 6 systems that connect to it.

This laptop has always had TCP/IP set to automatically obtain IP and DNS
addresses, and worked fine for over two years. This week, it would not
connect to the network. Got errors that I had "limited conductivity" or
"network cable is unplugged". I really thought I had a failed integrated
NIC. After much troubleshooting, I manually set up the IP address so that it
was static. It then connected and worked.

Why, after two years, do I now have to use a static IP address with this
system? I checked my services and DHCP Client service is running, as are the
usual network services. What else can I check?

Thanks for any replies!

 

[Paul Johnson]

DELL Inspiron 1100 - Windows XP Pro - Simple File Sharing disabled - Wired
LinkSys Router with DHCP enabled - Specified a range of 8 IP addresses in
router to handle the 6 systems that connect to it.

Use a much bigger range (like, at least two or three times what you have
now). Anybody within range of your AP can ask the router for a DHCP
address if it's an open point, you could be running out of IPs.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Paul, I don't think that is the problem. I'm really thinking
something is wrong with the integrated NIC, which I can't do anything with.

 

[Paul Johnson]

Use a much bigger range (like, at least two or three times what you have
now). Anybody within range of your AP can ask the router for a DHCP
address if it's an open point, you could be running out of IPs.

zaqxsw, if you replied, please email me or reply using something other than
the web frontend. I use a news server that just started to drop all the
web frontend posts on microsoft.* and all posts from Google Groups.