ethernet does not have valid IP address

ALANGR · 20 Jun 2018

I have a W10 PC away from my main computer linked to my main wireless network by an airport express. All worked well but when I re-started after an absence of a month I could not get connected to the internet from my remote computer and had the message 'Ethernet doesn't have a valid IP configuration'. My main PC connected without any issue.

So a series of attempts to get a connection led to re-booting the airport express, the PC and main modem but all attempts failed to make a connection and any diagnosis repeated the above message. As a last resort, I plugged in a long Ethernet cable directly and suddenly all was well.

So I am now trying to understand the nature of the original problem - so that I can remove the long cable. Since the direct cable works, it looks as though the settings are OK for the Ethernet. So does this mean that it is the airport express wireless link that is the issue? The unit appears to be working OK but am I missing something else?

Thanks for any help.

Barman58 · 20 Jun 2018

As far as I know the AirPort Range of apple WiFi hardware is no longer supported after 2016 - It originally dates back to 2004 and so the long period of non use could have resulted in a hardware failure or software reset, that is preventing operation.

Unless you are tied Into Apple hardware that will only work with specific apple WiFi hardware I would look at updating to a modern router that will likely provide better transfer rates ove much longer distances

ALANGR · 21 Jun 2018

Thanks for your comments. The airport was actually left on while I was away (though the PC was not).

No I am not tied to Apple but simply have five airport express units to cover the house; some donated by friends 'moving on'.

I will review the networking situation and, as you suggest, may well end up with a more powerful (and simpler) WiFi system.

Thanks.

Barman58 · 21 Jun 2018

The main reason for this type of failure is Either an update to the driver or the operating system - These days I would suspect that it is an OS update that has caused an issue with the previous working driver. unfortunately this type of issue can only apply to one system whilst all others are fine, this is due to the slight differences that are due to the extreme flexibility of Windows.

You could try to look for a later issue of the driver that the PC is connected although this is unlikely due to the status of the hardware.

it may be that a later windows driver is not as good as the previous one so it may need you to obtain a driver from Apple, remove the current driver and replace with an older one, it often happens that MS will update the driver they are distributing and this will cause an issue on a previously working setup, (MS do not actually write the drivers they distribute, other than those for MS hardware, but the ones they distribute are often just basic generic code and finding a driver direct can work when the generic MS one does not, and also give more control/options)

I would also remove and re-install the driver Using Device Manager as this will often trigger internal checks that will correct any glitch that has occured

ALANGR · 23 Jun 2018

Thank you for your comments regarding a suitable driver.

Yesterday I played around with connections and airport units without success and ended by putting it all back as it was originally. Then, yes, all worked OK. I have no idea what was going on but the problem has been cleared - for the moment at least. I waited until today to see the position and all is still working as expected.

But I would like to follow up your comments about updating the driver as I am not clear as to which driver you are referring to; is it the Ethernet driver in the computer that you mean or are you referring to the Airport unit?

The problem certainly appeared after the computer was updated after had been away so that could have triggered the original problem.

Still, all is well now and I appreciate your comments.

Thanks.

Barman58 · 23 Jun 2018

There may be drivers in both the AirPort and the PC(s) connected to it, Due to the status with the Airport Hardware I doubt that the Airport driver has been updated in some time. The same should go fo the Windows driver in the PC but what often happens is that a change in the system software will cause an issue for an existing driver, [that has been working for a long time]. There is then normally an windows update released that corrects the issue.

The time taken to release, if it is actually released, the WU containing the patch does of course depend on the hardware manufacturer, [Microsoft only distributes drivers, on behalf of Apple in this case, from the original hardware maker], and often the number of of active hardware installations in use , and the manufacturer's warranty commitments.

I would, in your case, monitor the situation on line, to see if Apple, or Microsoft, issue the drivers. The fact that you now have a working system is a good reason not to change anything but I would keep an eye on your possible replacement strategy for the future

ALANGR · 23 Jun 2018

Thank you for the information and advice. I have no wish to change anything that is working but will monitor to see what I can find about drivers.

But to have a replacement strategy seems sensible given the strange events and maybe a stronger/better WiFi setup should be a first line of consideration for the future.

Thanks for your help.

RickC · 23 Jun 2018

As your 'main' PC connects wirelessly without a problem and this 'problem' W10 PC connects via an ethernet cable, this suggests looking at its wireless configuration in greater detail.

Q1. In Device Manager, is there any warning icon against the wireless adapter? (Right-click on Start, choose Device Manager.)
Q2. Do you see the wireless icon bottom right near the clock in the Notification Area?
Q3. What version/build of W10 are you using? (Windows key + r together then enter winver.)

Do the following:
a. With the ethernet cable disconnected, right-click on Start and choose either Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin) - either is fine but if you chose Windows PowerShell (Admin), type cmd into the window that appears then press Enter.

b. In the commandline window type ipconfig /all > %userprofile%\desktop\ipconfig.txt and press Enter. A text file called ipconfig.txt should appear on your desktop containing the output of the command.

c. Either open the file in Notepad and paste the contents into a new post or attach the text file.

Hope this helps...

ALANGR · 24 Jun 2018

Thanks for your comments and ideas. While all is working OK I am not going to play around with things! (until recently it had been working for a couple of years or more). It may have been an OS update that upset matters as Barman58 suggested but if it happens again I will look at your comments in detailfor further investigation.

Thanks