Error Message: Invalid DHCP Lease

When you attempt to view a Web page in Internet Explorer using a cable modem, you may be unable to do so or you may receive the following error message:

This behavior can occur if your cable modem is configured to automatically obtain an IP address from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition (Me)automatically assigns an IP address if your adapter is unable to obtain one. Because a connection across a cable modem is slower than a connection across a network, Windows may automatically assign an IP address before the cable modem is able to obtain one from the DHCP server. Since this automatically assigned IP address is not valid for the Internet service provider (ISP), you can not access resources on the Internet using the cable modem.

To work around this issue, use the appropriate method:

One-Way Cable Modems

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type winipcfg, then press ENTER.
3. Click PPP Adapter in the list of adapters.
4. Verify that you have a Windows assigned IP address. To do this, verify that the IP Address box has the following address
   169.254.x.x.
   where x is any number between 0 and 255.
5. Click Release, and then click Renew.
6. Click the network adapter connected to your cable modem in the list of adapters.
7. Verify that you have a Windows assigned IP address. To do this, verify that the IP Address box has the following address
   169.254.x.x.
   where x is any number between 0 and 255.
8. Click the Release. The IP address should be 0.0.0.0.

Two-Way Cable Modems

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type winipcfg, then press ENTER.
3. Click the network adapter connected to your cable modem in the list of adapters.
4. Verify that you have a Windows assigned IP address. To do this, verify that the IP Address box has the following address
   169.254.x.x.
   where x is any number between 0 and 255.
5. Click Release, and then click Renew.

There are two types of cable modem services, one-way cable modems and two- way cable modems. One-way cable modems send information over the phone line, and receive information over the cable. Two-way cable modems send and receive information over the cable.

When Windows does not initially detect a DHCP service, it assigns an IP Autoconfiguration Address. If Windows later detects a DHCP service on the network, Windows switches from the IP Autoconfiguration Address to the address that is assigned by the DHCP server.

To disable IP Autoconfiguration Addressing, right-click the Ipac_off.inf file located in the Tools\Mtsutil folder on the Windows 98 CD-ROM or the \Tools\Pssutil folder on the Windows Me CD-ROM, and then click Install.


Additional information about IP Autoconfiguration Addressing can be found in Chapter 15 of the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit.