Weird IP address for local PC

[Greg]

Hi all,

I visited my parents the other day and let Windows XP Home
configure itself to network to my dad's machine. Since
then something very strange has happened. I run my own
mail server for outgoing mail - PostCast Server 2, to be
precise. I had it set up to only allow mail from
localhost, 127.0.0.1, so it couldn't be used to relay when
I was online. (I have a firewall that should stop all
that, but better safe than sorry.)

I went to send mail this evening and it wouldn't go - 550
error, access denied! After a lot of faffing and swearing,
I decided to run a test. I pinged localhost and it came
back as 127.0.0.1. Then I pinged GREG-PC, my computer
name, and it came back as 169.254.210.140! WTF?! I added
that IP to PostCast Server and it let me send mail again.
However, my computer now appears to think that its IP
address is 169.254.210.140, which resolves to the
following DNS:

NetRange: 169.254.0.0 - 169.254.255.255
CIDR: 169.254.0.0/16
NetName: LINKLOCAL
NetHandle: NET-169-254-0-0-1
Parent: NET-169-0-0-0-0
NetType: IANA Special Use
NameServer: BLACKHOLE-1.IANA.ORG
NameServer: BLACKHOLE-2.IANA.ORG
Comment: Please see RFC 3330 for additional information.
RegDate: 1998-01-27
Updated: 2002-10-14

How weird is that?? How on earth has that happened, and
how on earth can I get rid of it?!

(Coincidentally, just to check locally I went to log in to
my phpMyAdmin using the IP 169.254.210.140 and it worked -
which it clearly shouldn't have done! It's like XP has
made some local DNS entry!)

One further note. I've searched my entire system for files
containing the offending IP address in case it was lurking
in a setting somewhere and come up blank.

Any leads gratefully received. This seems to be a problem
unique to me right now!

Thanks,

Greg

 

[Robert L [MS-MVP]]

assuming you are using DHCP, where is your DHCP?

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[Lance]

When XP is setup for DHCP and it cannot find a DHCP server it gives
itself an IP address of 169.254.x.x (aka Automatic Private IP Addressing
or APIPA) See:
<http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...windows/xp/all/reskit/en-us/prjj_ipa_nqfb.asp>
(or http://tinyurl.com/6eygf)

The solution is to fix a DHCP problem or go with a static IP address.

Lance
*****

Greg said the following on 9/15/2004 11:51 AM:

 

[Greg]

Ahhh, I see. So, Windows couldn't find a DHCP server when
it was automatically configuring itself, hence the "ghost"
address.

So, if I specify my IP instead, no more prblems (on my LAN
connection only of course!)

Yes?

Thanks!

 

[Lance]

Well, what you're doing with a static IP address is bypassing the DHCP
problem. That will need to be fixed someday.

Lance
*****

Greg thought carefully and wrote on 9/15/2004 1:16 PM: