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Have you run the network troubleshooter to diagnose a problem with your ethernet connection, and it showed the error “Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration”? If so, your router has failed to assign an IP address to your PC via DHCP. Here are some potential solutions you may try to resolve this issue.
1. Perform Some Preliminary Checks
Begin troubleshooting by performing some basic checks. First, restart your computer. Then, disconnect the Ethernet cable from your computer and router and reconnect it. verify that the ethernet cable is not damaged. Also, connect the ethernet cable to different ports on your router and computer to rule out any port issues. After that,reboot your router(orreset it).
If these basic checks fail to identify the leading cause of the error, you can proceed to apply the remaining fixes listed below.
2. Discharge Static Charge
The presence ofstatic charge on your computercan cause unforeseen errors. It could also potentially affect your ethernet connection. So, discharge it to rule out this possibility. To do so, shut down your computer, disconnect any external devices, and remove the power cables. Then, hold the power button for 15-20 seconds to discharge the static charge.
Following that, reconnect the power cables and restart your PC. Run the troubleshooter once again, and if the errors persist, apply the next fix.
3. Reset TCP/IP Stack and Winsock Catalog
Winsock is an APIused by network applications to access network services like TCP/IP, and it stores its information in a database called the Winsock Catalog. Resetting this catalog and TCP/IP Stack often resolves network-related issues. To perform this reset via Command Prompt, you’re able to follow these steps:
4. Configure IPv4 to Obtain IP Address Automatically
If you’ve manually configured your IP address, consider setting it to be assigned automatically by your router or another access point. To do this, follow these steps: Right-click the Start button and selectSettings. Then, navigate toNetwork & internetin the left-sidebar and openEthernetsettings.
Within the network properties, click theEditbutton next toIP assignmentand selectAutomatic (DHCP)from the dropdown menu. Finally, clickSaveto apply the changes.
5. Release and Renew Your IP Address
Refreshing your internet connection by releasing and renewing your IP address can resolve IP conflicts and other network issues. Releasing your IP address frees it from your router, while renewing assigns your device the same or a different IP address, which resolves most IP address-related errors.
To release and renew your IP address, follow these steps:
6. Flush the DNS Cache
Flushing the DNS clears DNS records from your cache and prompts your device to retrieve the information from the DNS again. This often resolves network-related issues. Toflush the DNS cache on your Windows PC, open the Command Prompt app as an administrator, type in the following command, and press Enter:
Once you’ve flushed the DNS cache, restart your computer. Then, run the troubleshooter if the ethernet connection still isn’t working. If the issue persists, proceed to apply the next fix.
7. Reinstall the Ethernet Driver
A corrupted ethernet driver could also cause the error. To eliminate this possibility, uninstall and reinstall the ethernet driver from scratch. Before doing that, ensure you have a copy of the ethernet driver. If you don’t have one, you can connect your PC to Wi-Fi to download it or download it onto another device and transfer it to your PC via a USB drive.
Once you have the driver file, follow these steps:
Then, run the driver file you downloaded earlier and follow the on-screen instructions to install it. If the issue persists after reinstalling the driver, turn off the proxy server.
8. Disable Proxy Server Over LAN
Configuring a proxy server over a LAN could interfere with your router’s ability to assign an IP address to your PC. So, ensure that the proxy server isn’t enabled, and disable it if it is currently enabled. To do so, follow these steps:
9. Temporarily Disable Antivirus Protection
Interference from Windows Defender or third-party antivirus software could potentially cause the error in question. To rule out this possibility, temporarily turn off your security suite.Temporarily disable Windows Security on Windows 11orWindows 10. If you use a third-party antivirus software, turn it off or temporarily uninstall it.
If turning off the antivirus protection doesn’t resolve the problem, your final option should be to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
If you’ve been unable to identify the root cause of the problem despite applying the above fixes, there could be a hardware issue with your router that you may not be able to resolve independently. So, contact a representative from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and request their assistance in investigating the issue further.
Hopefully, the above solutions will help you diagnose the problem and successfully reconnect your PC to the internet via ethernet. If nothing works, assistance from your ISP will rescue you.
