IP Address Conflict

I've recently moved off to college and am now living in a dorm with shared internet connection. Every so often I'll get a windows error that states:

Windows has detected an IP Address conflict
Another computer on this network has the same IP address as this computer. Contact your network administrator for help resolving this issue. More details are available in the windows System log.

Once this error message pops up my internet goes down briefly until i simply close the message. I'm big into gaming so once this occurs I lose connection to my game, which could be devastating.

I've already tried ipconfig/release .. ipconfig/renew and the issue doesn't seem to be resolved.

Additional Info: I have no access to a router, or anything of the sort.
I'll try the local internet help if needed, but that requires me to unplug my entire computer and carry it a little ways down the road so they can figure out a solution.

Please provide the info requested here:
Basic Requirements Before Posting your Networking Thread
Only items 1 and 6 are of interest right now.

Some generic info:
There is probably nothing wrong with your computer. The problem might happen if you let the computer go to sleep. When it wakes up, it attempts to use the same IP address that it had when it went to sleep. The problem is, another device on the network has that IP address now. You will need to get a new IP address.

You mentioned using ipconfig's release and renew... and that it did not help. It should help until you put the computer to sleep again.


Ask the IT support staff if you are allowed to have your own router in the dorm. Just a router, not a wireless access point.

Perhaps someone else has a static IP configured to be the same as your leased dynamic IP? Or if someone has plugged in a router with DHCP running in the same segment using the LAN port (2 DHCP's running).