Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration error is caused because DHCP is unable to get a valid IP Address from your NIC (Network Interface Card). Dynamic IP configuration is enabled by default so that a user does not need to manually enter any settings to connect to a network with a DHCP server. But because your Ethernet doesn’t have one you won’t be able to access the internet and you might get an error like “Limited connectivity or No internet access.”
Table of Contents
Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration error Fix:
Method 1: Reinstalling TCP/IP Settings
1. Right-click on the Windows key and select “Command Prompt(Admin).”
2. Type the following commands and hit enter:
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
3. Restart your PC to apply these changes.
Method 2: Flush DNS and Reset TCP/IP
1. Right-click on Windows Button and select “Command Prompt(Admin).”
2. Now type the following command and press Enter after each one:
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew
3. Again open Admin Command Prompt and type the following and hit enter after each one:
ipconfig /flushdns nbtstat –r netsh int ip reset netsh winsock reset
4. Reboot to apply changes. Flushing DNS seems to fix Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration error.
Method 3: Disable and Enable your NIC (Network Interface Card)
1. Press Windows key + R, then type “ncpa.cpl” and hit enter.
2. Now right click on the NIC that is facing issue the issue.
3. Select Disable and again Enable it after few minutes.
4. Wait till it successfully receives an IP address.
5. If the issue persists type the following commands in cmd:
ipconfig /release ipconfig /flushdns ipconfig /renew
6. Restart your PC and check if you’re able to resolve the error.
Method 4: Change Network Adapter Settings
1. Press Windows key + R, then type “ncpa.cpl” and hit enter.
2. Now right-click on your WiFi (NIC) and select Properties.
3. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/Ipv4) and click Properties.
4. Make sure the following are checked:
Obtain an IP address automatically Obtain DNS server address automatically.
5. Click Ok and exit WiFi properties.
6. Reboot to apply changes.
Method 5: Uninstall Ethernet Drivers
1. Press Windows Key + R and type “devmgmt.msc” to open the Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapter and right-click on Network Adapter for which you’re facing the issue and click Uninstall.
3. If asked for confirmation click OK.
4. Finally, click Action then Scan for hardware changes.
5. Restart your PC to apply these changes.
Method 6: Update your drivers
1. Press Windows Key + R and “devmgmt.msc” to open the Device Manager.
2. Expand Network Adapter and right-click on the network adapter for which you’re facing the issue and click Update Driver Software.
3. Select “Browse my computer for driver software.”
4. Now click on “Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.”
5. Update all the drivers listed one by one and see if it fixes the issue.
6. Alternatively, if the above didn’t work go to the manufacturer’s website to download the latest drivers. For example, I have a Realtek PCIe FE family controller, so I need to update the Realtek drivers from its website.
7. Reboot your PC to save changes.
Method 7: Disable IPv6
1. Right-click on the WiFi icon on the system tray and then click on “Open Network and Sharing Center.”
2. Now click on your current connection in order to open Settings.
Note: If you can’t connect to your network then use an Ethernet cable to connect and then follow this step.
3. Click the Properties button in the window that just open.
4. Make sure to uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IP).
5. Click OK then click Close. Reboot your PC to save changes.
Method 8: Run Network Troubleshooter
1. Press Windows Key + I to open Settings then click on Update & Security.
2. From the left-hand menu select Troubleshoot.
3. Under Troubleshoot click on Internet Connections and then click Run the troubleshooter.
4. Follow further on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter.
5. Reboot your PC to save changes.
Method 9: Enable DHCP client service
1. Press Windows Key + R then type services.msc and hit Enter.
2. Find DHCP Client in this list then double-click on it to open its properties.
3. Make sure the Startup type is set to Automatic and click Start if the service is not already running.
4. Click Apply followed by OK.
5. Restart your PC to save changes.
Also, see how to fix limited internet access or no connectivity WiFi issue.
That’s it you have successfully learned How to Fix Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP configuration error. If you still have any queries regarding this post feel free to ask them in the comments.
Thanks for the help! Method 1: ReinstallingTCP/IP settings fixes my IP configuration error each time. Unfortunately, i need to run these commands nearly every other day because the error keeps recurring on my computer. Any idea why this error would continuously recur? Could it be caused by having too many devices in my home connecting to the internet via Wifi? Thanks again!
Welcome and no it doesn’t cause by having too many devices connected to the internet via wifi, well if the problem keeps occurring itself you might wanna check your PC configuration, what you can do is run Malware bytes see this post here: troubleshooter.xyz/fix-servers-certificate-has-been-revoked-in-chrome/ if it still doesn’t solve your problem then see if this problem is another laptop or just yours, try all these and get back to me we will definitely solve this problem 🙂
Thanks. I will download and run Malware bytes and see if that helps? is it okay to run Malware bytes with McAfee already running on my computer? The computer that has the problem most frequently is my desktop that is connected via ethernet cable to my ATT Uverse Modem. In most cases, that is the only computer affected. On a few occasions, the WiFi network has lost connectivity as well.
Yeah it’s okay to run malware bytes with McAfee no problem in that, but after using it make sure you uninstall it. Well if you’re computer is connected to your PC then there might be an issue of ip configuration see this post here : http://techcult.com/fix-ethernet-doesnt-have-a-valid-ip-configuration/ Well if its only on your PC then doing the steps mentioned in the above link and the previous link might help your case.
Ask someone but me. Anyway I think you may have to check your restore thing. I had similar problem and was walked through process to get rid of it from my backup. I may have deleted it from where ever but every time I set the restore guess what…there it was. Only a suggestion.
Hey dude thnx for the help but my problem is that when i plug in my LAN cable in my laptop at first is says IDENTIFYING than after a wile it says UNIDENTIFIED NETWORK i tried every method and nothing worked !
I’m having the same problem
me too
Me too
THANKs a lott
1st method worked for me. Thanks
You’ve captured this pelefctry. Thanks for taking the time!
I moved the cable to a different port on the router. Problem solved!
Thank you so much for these troubleshooter hints!! My PC has been offline for two days until I found your site. The very first hint solved my problem! Thank you so much for the help you provide!!
I am glad I was able to help you 🙂
I tried all of them and nothing ?
Me too ?
I was stuck with this problem for so long… Method 1 was really helpful! Thanks!
2nd method worked for me thanks
Yep first one worked for me too thanks so much it was driving me nut
Great tips. The second method worked for me.
Thanks a lot.
Welcome 🙂
Tried every method nothing worked
Same here
Thank you very much, 1st method worked for me
very informative. i tried all of them and is the last one that work for me. i have to download it to installed. thakns
The first method works for me! Thanks for the great help.. was struggling trying to configure and troubleshooting it for the entire day but nothing works until this
Thanks. First method worked for me on win10
Thank’s a lot…..
You are awesome! Spent over an hour on the phone with support and no one figured it out! Followed your steps and worked right away! You made my day!!
Method 1 worked for me. Thank you so much!
Tried all of the above, but still have a problem with the ethernet landline (WiFi works fine and is pinch-hitting for the internet connection for now). System was working fine up until a few days ago when I was attempting to used Clonezilla to backup the system onto an external disk. No joy trying to do that, since the Windows 10 disk is segmented into six partitions, versus the old Windows 7 system it replaces, which was all nicely loaded into a single partition. After a couple of abortive attempts, the Ethernet connection stopped working. Tried a couple of new cables, different ports on the cable modem, no luck. Tried several techniques, including everything on this page, to resolve the problem, but no luck. Suggestions?
It helped. Thanks!
Hi, ive tried each one of the steps, none seems to work,
also when i am trying to run ipconfig /renew , i see this error:
unable to connect to your DHCP server.
i’ve checked the services too, DHCP is running.
even after restarting the services the problem still persists.
did you ever get it to work
Same here… how did you solve your problem??
Hi there I have tried the first 4 so far and no luck. However I wanted to note that I am using a tp-link that sends the internet data through the power lines around the house. I have to reset the to link every time I turn off my computer. Problem is the other side is my landlords so it’s hard to access. Do you have any experience using this device? It seems that the internet is being sent through the device fine. But my computer is having issues with it.
Thank you for help getting win10 network running!
“http://techcult.com/fix-ethernet-doesnt-have-a-valid-ip-configuration/”
Um hello in the first method it says failed and acces denied,,what to do??btw i have try all your method except the last one,,thanks for the hardwork
Had tried all methods. Doesn’t work. In a fit of anger, i uninstalled my anti-virus (Avast Premier licenced) Damn! It works smoothly ?Anyway, nice post ?
Thank You Man First Method Worked For Me 🙂 GOD bless you
Very helpful blog. #2 fixes mine. Thank you heaps!
Very happy here 😀
Glad I was able to help 🙂
I get the error you describe but only on “ethernet3”. Ethernet 1&2 work fine. I am a little afraid to apply your solution, afraid that it will affect ethernet 1&2. Should I go ahead and apply the first fix?
Thanks for your help
Jim
My Samsung PC is not connecting to the internet via Wifi and ethernet. It shows the ‘Ethernet does not have a valid IP configuration’ message. I have been travelling for a month and using the PC with other modem/routers without problems except that, on the last day before return, it would not let Outlook to send/receive; but internet itself was OK.
I have another Samsung PC and it, as well as other devices, is fine. Both PCs are set for automatic updates.
I went through all the above steps with no success so thought about when the connection had been lost and realised that it was at the time the modem was rebooted. So looked at the back of the modem and realised that a lead was missing – found the loose end hidden away and reconnected – hey presto all fixed. Moral of the story is dont always blame the NIC – check the cables first!
The fourth method worked for me. Thank you very much, you’re a saint!
Glad I was able to help 🙂
When doing netsh int ip reset it says access denied
did all the steps. none of them worked
Have tried all methods none have worked
Thank you so much the first method worked like a charm. After building a quite expensive gaming pc you can see why I was a bit worried.
Can u help me resolve problem with my PC? I and my neighbor share the Internet…. We have an Ethernet cable coming from their home,we connect it to another modem in our home or sometimes directly to the desktop ,but now we are not able to connect to the Internet through any of our devices… Every time it shows a yellow triangle ,which says connected but no internet access…I tried all your methods but none worked! Is it a problem with the software or the hardware?
Have tried replacing the ethernet cable, because if you have successfully completed all the above steps then it might be related to hardware rather than the software issue.
I cannot get it to work even though I tried every single method. It keeps saying that there’s an error with the Ethernet just like always. Please help 🙁
Thanks a million
Glad I was able to help 🙂
Tried all these methods and none of them worked have changed eternet cords still have the same problem
I had a network set up so that it used my phone’s internet by using USB tethering, so that my pc could get internet access. It worked perfectly the day before but today it just wouldn’t work. So I tried all the methods above, but still the problem persisted. Through process of elimination I managed to find the solution on my own.
Recently I installed (a few weeks ago) a program called NetLimiter 4, so that I could restrict and limit programs’ access to the internet. I limited all the programs to my choosing and limit the windows programs to 50 B/s. It gave me no trouble until yesterday. But as I found out today is that you should disable the limit for “svchost.exe” when starting up your pc (or if you see you don’t have access to the internet). My pc was now finally connected to the internet! After the connection was established, I once again limited the “svchost.exe” program to 50 B/s and I still had access to the internet! Hope this helps someone. Good day!
I tried all of these fixes and none of them worked. There is something wrong with your network card I think. What did fix this error, was unplugging the router for 5-7 minutes and to my knowledge it then runs its own diagnostic or something and corrects itself. Worked for me. Easiest fix.
nice article this article is really great and very well explained
this is the big problem for me
thanks for it
Tryed all the methods but the problem exist. My wifi is working , my other pc connected on the same rooter is working fine. Happened yesterday so unexpectedly.
I open Network and sharing center while is identifying, My Ethernet shows as a unidentified Network.
While Troubleshooting says a Problem found.
Ethernet doesn’t have a valid IP Confiquration.
Need Help please
None of those worked, but my roommate came home and pointed out that I was plugged in to the modem, not the router. In my defense, they looked really weird.
Will thesend Command Prompt instructions work with Windows Powershell?
Method 2 works like a charm!! Thank you so much, you’re a lifesaver!!
Strangely I tried a few of these, no success. But I read elsewhere that changing socket of Ethernet cable on router can fix. Changed once. Nothing. Changed again and bingo. Internet recovered. Seems I have 2 dead sockets on router now
So I updated my drivers through the website given as I have the same driver software, and when I’ve done it before it’s worked. I did it today and whem I went to restart my PC it came up with a screen asking me to select a boot media device like when I initially booted it up. Please help me 🙁
Okay – none of the proposed solutions worked – until I read the comment about switching ports on the router. Then it worked. Makes sense, somehow there could be a setting on the switch keeping track of IP addresses in some cache or other; I presume turning off all the routers/ switches and then back on would to the trick too. Thanks for the poster above!
I tried everything you have on this page,nothing worked. It was driving me mad, I even tried a system restore, still no good.
For some reason when I applied internet sharing on my wireless connection I noticed it didn’t give me the option to share the wireless connection by name, the option just wasn’t showing. I decided to use the rename option after right clicking the network adapter, once renamedit gave me the option to share the device, hey presto it worked.
Method #1 worked for me. Thank you so much!
Method #1 worked for me like a magic. Thank you so much!
I tried all the methods and the cmd
Prompt 3 gave me the following
No operation can be performed on local area connection* 11 while it has its media disconnected. An error occurred while renewing interface Wi- Fi : An attempt was made to access a docket in a way forbidden by its access permissions.
So what do I do next?
Thank you so much! i have been desperate for a solution the last 3 hours, but it finally worked thanks to your guide!
Glad I was able to help 🙂
First method worked…awesome thanks
So I’ve tried all these methods and I’m still getting the same error. I’ve tried changing cords I’ve tried restarting the router I’ve tried resetting the network and still nothing. If anyone has anything else to help me let me know at this moment I welcome anything.
I tried every method but it doesn’t work for me please help me anyone if you have any other way to solve mail me, hatbibmd007 @ gmail.com
easy way to fix this use the default antivirus defender unsitall avast , eset other realted anti virus
Method 2 worked for me. Thank you!
You’re Welcome 🙂
Amazing, thank you so much! I was browsing happily and then suddenly lost Internet (cabled connection, not WiFi) – never happened before – I tried various things, was baffled but thankfully found your site very easily on another computer and Method 1 worked immediately for me. Will have to see if it happens again. Many thanks indeed.
Glad I was able to help 🙂
Yes good i like it so naic thank