"Ethernet does not have a valid IP configuration" It is the error message that quite frequently appears on the screen of our computer when we go to connect to the Internet. Quite an annoying message. The error can occur for different reasons. Knowing how to identify them is key to applying the corresponding solution.
Remember that when we talk about Ethernet we are referring to the wired part of a computer's Internet connection. If, instead of using a WiFi connection, we choose the option of connecting our equipment directly to the router, what we need is a Ethernet cable. This guarantees that we can take advantage of the full speed and power of the connection, while also avoiding the inconveniences that wireless connections often generate.
Why does this error occur?
The origin of the error "Ethernet does not have a valid IP configuration" can be very diverse, although we find some important clues in the message itself: the IP address, which is the number that identifies all the computers linked to the same network, is not being recognized.
This fault is registered in other indicators of the computer. For example, it displays a yellow error triangle with the exclamation mark in the left inner corner of the screen. We also find it when we go to "Center network and sharing", trying to solve the problem. There the “unidentified network” error message appears.
So the message only informs us that an IP assignment error has occurred after connecting the router and the computer, but what is its origin? The most common reasons they are usually the following:
- An incorrect value in the computer's subnet mask.
- Gateway errors.
- DNS problems.
- Windows failures, usually due to lack of updates.
Solutions to 'Ethernet does not have a valid IP configuration'
Taking into account that the reasons that can lead to this error are different, we are going to list the most appropriate ways to solve it. It is best to try each of them in the order in which we present them:
Preliminary checks
Before getting into the actual solutions, it's a good idea to rule out the more obvious problems. So we will perform the following checks to rule them out:
- Check that the IP is in automatic mode. For this we will do the following:
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- Let's go to "Center network and sharing", where we will select the option of "Switch to adapter settings."
- Clicking the right button will bring up the window "Ethernet Properties".
- There we will "Properties: Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)".
- In this section we check that the option is activated "Obtain an IP address automatically".
- Check the router to verify that the DHCP protocol is activated.
- Reinstall the network card driver through these steps:
- Let's go to "Device administrator".
- There we select "Network Adapters".
- In the list that appears, we select our card and, with the right button, we choose "Uninstall".
- Finally, we restart the computer.
Restart router and computer
Yes, a rather crude solution, but it works well in many cases, and not only to solve the problem of 'Ethernet does not have a valid IP configuration', but also many others. To the Turn on and turn off, both devices reconnect again. In this way, it is quite likely that the small punctual errors that have made the connection difficult before have now disappeared.
For this procedure to work, it is advisable to leave both devices off for a few minutes before turning them back on. If after this the error persists, you will have to try Reiniciar both computer and router.
Reset connection settings
In other words, return to the starting point, at minute one of the match. To modify the connection configuration values, you need to have administrator permissions. This is how to proceed:
- First of all, we open the start menu and type "Cmd". The Command Prompt window will appear.
- In it, we will write the following three commands, pressing Enter after each of them:
- ipconfig-release
- ipconfig-flushdns
- ipconfig-renew
To save the changes, you must restart the system.
Reset TCP IP sockets
The sockets are the elements that make possible the secure exchange of data between two programs. It may happen that the origin of the error that concerns us in this post is found like this. To solve it, you must proceed to reset it by following these steps:
- Again we open the start menu and write "Cmd" to bring up the Command Prompt window.
- Before taking the next step, disconnect the Ethernet cable from the computer.
- Once this is done, we write the command netsh winsock reset and click Enter.
Once the process is finished, you have to restart the computer and connect it again to the router with the Ethernet cable. The error will be gone.
Change the DNS
Another old solution that is sometimes useful to get rid of the 'Ethernet does not have a valid IP configuration' problem. The idea is to test manually change DNS by some recommended DNS, which will be different from those that our internet operator has provided us. This is how you do it:
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- We press Windows + R and in the box that appears we write ncpa.cpl
- Then press Enter to open the configuration window Network connections.
- With the right button we click on "Ethernet Properties".
- There, in the list, we select the option "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)".
- Now you have to activate the option "Use the following DNS server addresses" and enter the new DNS you want to use.
What to write as new DNS? A good idea is to try it with OpenDNS, whose primary and secondary DNS are 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220. Other users advise using the Google DNS. Their addresses are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. There is also the option of Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1.
If, after changing the DNS, the problem disappears, the decision to keep the new DNS will be up to us. If this is not the case, it can be obtained automatically again, although it will be necessary to continue looking for the source of the error.
Manual reconfiguration of internet properties
The last cartridge: to do the work of the router of automatic assignment of an IP with our own hands. To achieve this, we will follow the same steps explained in the previous section, but introducing a change after step number 4: at this point we click on the «Properties» and, in the window that opens after, we verify that the option “Obtain DNS Server address automatically” is activated, which might have been disabled by mistake.
To finish, you have to restart the router and try again.