7 Easy Fixes For ‘Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration’?

Reasons For ‘Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration’ Problem

Some of the reasons why you encounter the ‘Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ problem in the first place are :

• Your Ethernet connection has an invalid IP address
• Outdated network adapter drivers
• Incorrect network configuration
• Making unknown changes in the network IP
• Loose/faulty Ethernet cable
• Recent Windows Update might’ve broken the Ethernet

Did You Check your Router ?

Before we begin with the fixes, the probability that there’s a problem in your router itself is pretty high.

Hence. let’s look at how to fix these problems in routers from some of the popular OEMS like Netgear, TP-Link, or D-Link.

Solve Netgear, TP-Link, D-Link Failed To Obtain IP Address

What exactly does “failed to obtain IP address” mean?

You see, when you try to connect a device to your router, your router assigns a random IP address so that your device can communicate to the router to send data packets, and the router can send the packets coming from your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

If your Netgear, TP-Link, or D-Link Powerline router failed to obtain IP address, check if the router’s Ethernet LED is lit/blinking.

If it isn’t, try re-plugging the Ethernet cable to the same or a different port. You can also try restarting the router.

If you have a modem connected to the router, try connecting the modem directly to your computer and loading a web page.

If the internet works, it is safe to assume that the issue is with your router. Resetting your router to default settings could be the quickest way to get back online. Here’s how to reset your router.

• Ensure that your router is powered on by checking if the power LED is on.
• On the back of the router, you’ll find a reset button or a hole. If your router has a button, hold it for 7 seconds before it automatically reboots.

• If your router has a reset hole, get a hair clip or a safety pin and press it inside for 7 seconds before your router automatically reboots.

• Login with default credentials

For Netgear
username: admin
password: password

For D-Link
username: admin
password: "empty"

For TP-Link
username: admin
password: admin

Fixing ‘Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration’

1. Restart Your PC Or Router

You might’ve heard the popular sentence, “Sir, have you tried restarting your PC?” While this is often taken as a pinch of salt, believe us, it does find many problems. Yes! We’re talking about problems that even software evangelists cannot solve.

Restarting your Windows PC is pretty easy. All you need to do is; click on the little Windows icon (Start menu) at the bottom-left corner.

Slightly above that, you’ll find a little power button icon – click on it, and finally, from the three options Sleep, Shutdown, and Restart, click on Restart.

2. Configure Network Adapter Settings

The way your router works is; every device that’s connected to the router is assigned an IP address. It is worth noting that these IP addresses are random.

Hence, making any changes to this IP address could break the connection between your computer, router, and the internet.

To fix it, you can try setting the IP allocation settings to automatic.

• Press the key combination Windows + R to open Windows’ Run application, type ncpa.cpl in the text box, and hit enter.

• Now, right-click on the option that reads Ethernet, and from the menu that appears, find and click on properties. If you get a Windows administrator reconfirmation popup, click on the Allow button.

• In the whole bunch of check boxes you’ll find in the Ethernet properties, find and click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).

In the above image, you can see I clicked on “Wi-Fi properties” because I’m not connected via Ethernet. You’ll see a similar, Ethernet option when you plug-in the cable. The rest of the process is identical.

• You’ll see the properties button light up. Click on it and another window will pop-up.

• Now, in the new window that appears, in the General section, find and check the Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically options. Finally, click on the OK button.

Now, all that’s left to do for you is to reboot both your computer and router. This is a very common fix to solve Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration problem.

Also Read, What Is yourphone.exe In Windows 10? Should You Be Worried?

3. Check The Ethernet Cable

Most people spend hours diagnosing the problem while thinking the problem’s with OS, but later they find out it was actually due to poorly plugged in or damaged cables. Damaged cables could also be one reason why the ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration problem.

An easy way to check if the cable is connected properly or not is by plugging it in and anticipating a mildly satisfying “click” sound.

This sound indicates that the cable is properly plugged in.

Almost all routers come with an ethernet cable indication symbol so, if you see your Ethernet LED blinking, this means that the cable is connected properly.

Also read, Network Cable Not Properly Plugged In Windows 10

4. Reset Your Network Settings

Outdated network settings could also be the reason why the problem occurs. Similarly, the problem might also occur if the newer settings clash with the older settings.

To fix this, you’ll need to flush the DNS server, reset the socket, and reconnect again. Here’s how to do it.

• Press the Windows key + R shortcut to open Windows’ Run application. Now, type cmd to and click on the enter key. The command prompt will open.

• Now, copy and paste the following commands each at a time.

netsh winsock reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

• Open the Run application again using the key combination Windows + R.

• Now type ncpa.cpl as we did in the first fix method and hit enter.

• Right-click on the Ethernet option, find the Disable option on top of the list and click on it. Now, right-click on it again and click on Enable.

• Finally, restart your computer.

This is considered as one of the most popular fixes to the Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration problem.

Does the problem persist? We’re not done yet. There’s still hope!

5. Uninstall/Install Windows Updates

The recent Windows update(s) could also be the culprit here. Don’t believe me? A lot of times, Windows updates can break your device’s crucial components and render your PC useless.

Hence, if you’ve been facing this problem right after recently updating Windows, you might need to roll back to the previous version of the OS.

No, not to Windows 7/8 from 10 rather the previous version of Windows 10 itself. To do this.

• Fire up the Settings app by opening the Start menu and typing the term Settings in the search bar and clicking on the first search result.

• Now, in Settings, find the Update & Security option and click on it.

• Click on the View Update History option just below the Check for Updates button.

• At the very top, you’ll find the Uninstall Updates option. Clicking it will take you to the Installed Updates window, where you can right-click on the recent update and click on Uninstall to revert to the previous version of Windows.

6. Reinstalling The Network Driver

Manually uninstalling and reinstalling the Ethernet adapter driver can sometimes solve the ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration problem. Follow the below steps to reinstall it.

• Open the Start menu and start typing Device Manager, and press enter. This will open up the Device driver app, which, as the name suggests, is used to manage device drivers.

• From the list of drivers, find and click on the Network Adapters option to expand it.

• From the sub-menu, find and right-click on the Ethernet Adapter driver, and from the list of options that appear, find and click on the Uninstall device option. Don’t worry; there’s no harm in doing this. The driver will be automatically installed on the next boot.

• Finally, restart your computer.

Did that solve the Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration problem? Let us know in the comments section below.

7. Disabling IPv6

Most of the users reported that disabling IPv6 solved the Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration issue.

For starters, with growing number of devices connecting to the internet, the IPv4 addresses, due to them being just 32-bit long, are running out. Hence, IPv6 was introduced which is 128-bit long.

The issue might occur due to the IPs not supporting IPv6 addresses. Hence, you’ll need to disable IPv6.

• Press the Windows + R keys -> type control panel and hit enter -> go to Network and Sharing Center -> Change adapter settings -> Right-click on the Ethernet option.

• Now, click on properties. Find and uncheck the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) checkbox and, finally, click on OK.

Conclusion

So, these were some of the most common fixes to the Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration problem.

If none of the above ways helped you solve the problem, you might want to reinstall Windows and try reconnecting to the Ethernet.

You might also want to check if the Ethernet port of your PC is faulty as that is also one of the potential reasons why the issue exists.

Cleaning/blowing air into the port to remove the dust particles could also help.

Or, did we help you solve the problem? Let us know in the comments section below. Also share this articles if you want others to benefit.