IP error problem....help appreciated guys

[angiesluck]

IP conflict error – “Another computer on this network has the same IP address as this computer. Contact you network administrator for help resolving this issue. More details are available in the Windows System event log”

This is the message I get....any ideas how to resolve this from happening again and again...thanks

 

[matts6887]

I would try resetting both the modem and router so that they get a clean ip from the start(hopefully). To do this; unplug the power cords from both the modem and router(if you have a separate router); wait about a minute or so; then plug the modem back in first and let that boot fully; then plug the router back in and let that boot fully. Also; another thing to look for is go into the network adapters in the control panel and make sure they are set to obtain ip address automatically. Try one or both of these things out and see if it resolves the issue. If not post back and we can take it from there.

 

[angiesluck]

I turned off modem/router and waited over a minute and turned back on....as for the adapter...I can not seem to find anywhere that says if it is obtaining ip automatically

 

[Shimshom]

Go to Control Panel click on Network and Sharing Centre in the left pane click on Change Adapter Settings then right click on Local Area Connection and click on Properties in the window that pops up highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 then click the Properties button and in the general tab make sure both Obtain an IP address and Obtain DNS Server Address automatically are ticked then click OK and OK again. Restart the computer and hope this solves it
Regards
Simon

 

[angiesluck]

thanks for that....I did that and yes they say it is set to automatic.....so any ideas as to why it sometimes flicks up with conflict.....my husbands laptop gets it too some days

 

[Shimshom]

Make sure your husband computer is also set to automatic IP and DNS and also try to click start orb
Type cmd right click on cmd.exe select run as admin or you can also click the start orb, All Programs, Accessories and right click command prompt and run as Admin and run these two commands on both computers

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
Note the space between ipconfig and /
Do you use a Modem/Router or a modem and a separate router

 

[UsernameIssues]

...so any ideas as to why it sometimes flicks up with conflict...

It could be a combination of several things.

Here are some of my ramblings on the topic:
Let's suppose that your network equipment (router, modem or combo) assigns your computer an IP address of 192.198.1.2. You use that IP address to surf the internet for a while and then you let the computer go to sleep. The network equipment that is managing IP addresses for your network might detect that your computer is no longer in need of that 192.198.1.2 IP address - so it puts that 192.198.1.2 IP address back in the pool of available addresses that it can give to the next device that requests an IP address.

Your husband starts his laptop and that laptop is assigned an IP address of 192.198.1.2.

Your computer went to sleep thinking that it had 192.198.1.2 to work with. If you wake your computer up while your husband's laptop is using 192.198.1.2, then you might see that "IP Conflict Error" pop up.


There might not be much that you can do about the error. Restarting your computer should clear things up because the computer should ask for a new IP address when it starts. As Shimshom's post mentions, there are other ways to get the computer to ask for a new IP address - but restarting the computer that is showing the "IP Conflict Error" tray tip is a pretty simple fix.


There are probably some settings on your network equipment that might help, but it might not be worth your time to fiddle with them. If your Internet Service Provider offers support for your network equipment, then you might ask them to walk you thru changing the DHCP lease times - but that might not help because the firmware in some network equipment will ignore lease time settings if the connection is deemed inactive. In other words, you can tell the network equipment to let your computer use 192.198.1.2 for months - but the network equipment still might ignore your wishes.


You might also be able to tell your network equipment to always give your computer the IP address of 192.198.1.2 (to never give that IP address to any other device on the network). Doing that is different from telling your computer to use a static IP address. You can leave your computer set to automatically obtain an IP address from the network equipment it is connected to - you would just be telling the network equipment to always assign 192.198.1.2 to the MAC address associated with your computer. Again, this is something that is best supported by your Internet Service Provider. If they are using network equipment that does not handle IP address management very well, then they should hear about it from their customers.

Clear as mud?

 

[angiesluck]

erm! on the modem/router I am not sure.....I have a white 'wireless' router plugged into phone socket... I assumed modem was one of the same thing!.....

I decided to shut down all laptops and switched off router for one hr today and then restarted router and then laptops...so far all fine......

I guess you could be correct on both mine and husbands laptops both trying to use same ip.....I will have to switch them off more often... we tend to just hibernate them at night...maybe that is the problem.....I was just frightened that someone was trying to access our laptops but maybe I was being a little over cautious

 

[Shimshom]

Glad to hear it's working hope it stays that way. Good idea sometimes to switch modems/routers off especially if there's a glitch in the system. If you feel it's solved do press the Solved button so people know it's no longer an issue
Regards
Simon

 

[Shadowjk]

erm! on the modem/router I am not sure.....I have a white 'wireless' router plugged into phone socket... I assumed modem was one of the same thing!.....

A modem just converts your home network traffic to a type that can be used by your ISP

A router is what manages your internal connections and hands off the traffic to the modem.

In the older days they used to be 2 separate boxes, one was the router and the other was a modem. Today they have managed to integrate both into the same box. This is where most of the confusion as to what is a modem and router is has come from.

Hope This Helps,
Josh