Dell Laptop suddenly not communicating with DHCP


  1. Posts : 2
    Windows 10
       #1

    Dell Laptop suddenly not communicating with DHCP


    I have had a Dell M4500 since 2011 and it has performed rock solid until yesterday when it would not connect to the network. I get the same problem with Ethernet, the built-in wireless and even my Verizon Jetpack - no network or internet connection. I tried all of the usual things like cold reboot, disable and re-enable adapter, etc. I even deleted both Ethernet and wireless adapters and had Win 10 reinstall them. I then tried the following commands on the command line, run as administrator, to reset the TCP/IP stack:

    netsh winsock reset catalog
    netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log
    netsh int tcp set heuristics disabled

    netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled
    netsh int tcp set global rss=enabled

    No joy. Then I tried these commands that others suggested:

    ipconfig /flushdns
    ipconfig /release
    ipconfig /renew

    Still no joy. However, after resetting the TCP/IP stack I am now able to enter manual settings and connect to the network here at the office. The DHCP server (SonicWall NSA 250 M wireless-N) does not have the laptop listed in the connections of course and the start bar ethernet icon shows "identifying . . ." still.

    Oh, I should mention that all other 11 computers on the network can connect to the Ethernet just fine. Everyone's phone and another laptop I brought in to test with can all connect to the wireless fine. Further, when I took my laptop home to test it on that network there, I had the same problems. Any ideas?

    This is my maiden voyage on this forum. I hope I have given enough information. Thank you for any help.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Well, I figured out the problem and fixed it all at the same time. You would NEVER guess what the problem was.

    Wait for it . . .

    The Battery!

    Yes, just on a whim I removed the battery with the power cord connected and suddenly it connected to the wireless. I then tested it on a wired connection and it worked. I next put the battery in my identical laptop and it was able to get a valid IP address by DHCP, but could not gain internet access. I did some further analysis by switching the battery from one laptop to the other. The one with the “good” battery or no battery at all always connected via DHCP. The one with the “bad” battery had intermittent problems no matter which laptop I used.

    So, battery issues can be very strange indeed.

    Dr. R
      My Computer


 

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