Local Area Connection doesn't have valid IP configuration


  1. Posts : 16
    Windows 7
       #1

    Local Area Connection doesn't have valid IP configuration


    Guys, I really need your help.

    I got a new laptop a couple days ago. It was for work so I brought it to the office. We have an open network in the office, you just need to plug into it with a regular cable. We've had it for years and it always worked. Not this time.

    When I'd first plugged it, it came online, but the connection had been lost in a couple minutes. When nothing obvious worked, I tried to diagnose and got the infamous "Local Area Connection doesn't have valid IP configuration" error. I've been googling it ever since, trying to do everything possible to fix this.

    The network adapter is Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller.

    I've tried using different cable, restarting the router, all the ipconfig stuff, resetting winstock etc. I've formatted the hard drive and installed Win 7 from scratch. I've checked the BIOS - it only has one LAN-related setting and it's enabled. I've been to Realtek website and downloaded their latest drivers. The latest one is from Jan

    Finally I've seen a few thread suggesting that this whole issue is router-related. So I brought the laptop home to try it there without any router in the way. It was pretty much the same - got connection, working for half a minute, gone. Diagnosing got me the same error. I've tried disabling ipV6 and playing with adapter configuration, but it didn't change much.

    Nothing. Sometimes diagnosing makes the laptop recognise the network, but it's only for a short time.

    I live in a small town in Russia and we only got one authorized Samsung service which has a reputation of snatching hardware parts (yep, insert your fave Soviet Russia joke here). I am concerned that if I bring it over there they'll just give it back to me with the same problem after 45 days or will make it even worse. So I would like to exhaust every possible "software" solution before giving up. The feedback on their warranty service is horrifying.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 28,845
    Win 8 Release candidate 8400
       #2

    Can you run ipconfig /all snip the output and upload it to us here?
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 16
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #3

    No problem at all. Sorry some of the stuff is in Russian, I've translated the key points (or what I think is key points) using logs from similar threads, please tell if I had missed anything of import.

    C:\Users\Алексей>ipconfig/all

    Настройка протокола IP для Windows

    Имя компьютера . . . . . . . . . : А
    Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
    Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
    IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
    WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

    Wireless adapter:

    Состояние среды. . . . . . . . : Среда передачи недоступна.
    DNS-суффикс подключения . . . . . :
    Описание. . . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Centrino(R) Wireless-N 130
    Физический адрес. . . . . . . . . : DC-A9-79-1E-50-2D
    DHCP включен. . . . . . . . . . . : Да
    Автонастройка включена. . . . . . : Да

    Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

    Connection-specific DNS Suffix. . . . . :
    Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
    Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : E8-11-30-C0-99-CB
    DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
    Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
    Link-local IPv6 Address . . . : fe80::a5b9:dae0:d4a6:b782%14(Основной)
    Autoconfiguration IPv4 Address . . . . : 169.254.183.130(Основной)
    Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
    Default Gateway. . . . . . . . . :
    IAID DHCPv6 . . . . . . . . . . . : 300421426
    DHCPv6 Client DUID . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-15-96-33-94-E8-11-32-60-F8-F7

    DNS-серверы. . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
    fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
    fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
    NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

    Ethernet adapter Bluetooth connection:

    Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
    Connection-specific DNS Suffix . . . . . :
    Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth devices (private network)
    Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : DC-A9-70-1E-50-31
    DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Да
    Autoconfiguration Enabled. . . . . . : Да

    Tunnel adapter isatap.{3959D8B4-4087-4D2C-9EE9-9F283545967D}:

    Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
    Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
    Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
    Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
    DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
    Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

    Tunnel adapter isatap.{3BB75278-9CDA-4E08-981C-33FDF62B1F9C}:

    Состояние среды. . . . . . . . : Среда передачи недоступна.
    DNS-суффикс подключения . . . . . :
    Описание. . . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
    Физический адрес. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
    DHCP включен. . . . . . . . . . . : Нет
    Автонастройка включена. . . . . . : Да

    Tunnel adapter isatap.{900762A1-DABD-46CB-B391-0C4DE766EBA6}:

    Состояние среды. . . . . . . . : Среда передачи недоступна.
    DNS-суффикс подключения . . . . . :
    Описание. . . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #3
    Физический адрес. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
    DHCP включен. . . . . . . . . . . : Нет
    Автонастройка включена. . . . . . : Да

    C:\Users\Алексей>
    Last edited by Alex Neverhood; 17 Feb 2012 at 06:51.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 16
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #4

    One more thing I have failed to mention - I'm a little bit concerned by the LAN adapter behavior. When I pull the cable out of the LAN port, it doesn't seem to react immediately at all. I've removed the cable yesterday and sat for 2-3 minutes watching - it was still connected to unidentified network in the network and sharing centre.

    This is the main reason I've even considered taking it down to warranty service.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 16
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #5

    OK guys, I may have something here. I got this off another forum, but so far it's been working for about 10 minutes, which is the best result that I've had to this moment. Even if this won't help me it might still help someone else as I understand that this issue is fairly common with many Realtek products and especially new ones.

    This is the source. I don't know who this guy is but I hope he'll win a million in a lottery.
    I know this thread is old, but I have been chasing my tail for a couple of days trying to get rid of the "unidentified network" issue. I tried everything...reset TCPIP, reset Winsock, removed the 0.0.0.0 default route, removed the nic to get Win 7 to reinstall it on boot, disabled bonjour, set a static IP/gateway, edited the registry to set a DHCP flag....basically everything I could find out there...nothing worked. As I was pulling some more hair out, I had a thought back to my old hardware days....check the Speed & Duplex of the NIC! Once I followed the steps below, and rebooted...up came my network...and no more "unidentified network"!!

    There are several ways to do this, but here is the one used...Open Network and Sharing Center, Click on "Change adapter settings", right-click on the NIC and select "Properties", then click the "Configure" button. Select the "Advanced" tab (I think pretty much any NIC should have this), scroll down until you find "Speed & Duplex". The default value for this setting is "Auto Negotiation"...change it to a fixed value (I used 100 Mbps Full Duplex). You may have to try a couple of the settings (there is no fear of causing any issues by changing this setting) in order to find what works best for your NIC...and the switch/hub/router that you are connected to.

    Bottom line, my issue (and maybe yours, and maybe not) was caused by the NIC having trouble negotiating the connection speed to the network...since it couldn't get a solid connection, but knew there was a network there, Win7 classifies it as an "unidentified network". Once you set a fixed speed & duplex, the NIC immediately connects at the selected speed. This of course assumes you have set a speed & duplex that all components on your network is capable of running at (if you only have a 100Mbps port on your router, don't set the NIC to 1Gbps).

    I hope this work for someone out there.
    I didn't even have to reboot - the network was recognised the second I switched from Auto Negotiation.

    Again, I got no idea if this will work in the long term - I can't even spend time playing around with the new laptop at the moment, but it seems to be working. I've logged into my 2nd skype account on the new laptop and made a video call from my old one that I'm now typing this on. So far the call hadn't been interrupted.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 16
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #6

    OK, the problem is back now. It was quiet and peaceful for half a day and then it started all over again. I have to manually disable and enable the adapter again and then it finds the network.

    Does anybody have any ideas about it? Sometimes I have to change the "Speed & Duplex" setting from, say, 10Mbit Full Duplex to 100 Mbit Half Duplex and then it works. I've tried enabling and disabling Flow Control and Receive Side Scaling, but none of it has helped to achieve some kind of permanent result so far.

    Bumping this thread with hope for fresh ideas. These are all of my LAN settings, maybe somebody will be able to spot one that's causing the trouble.

      My Computer


 

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