How to Fix a PC Stuck on “Acquiring Network Address” or “Renewing Your IP Address”

I recently ran into a problem with a wireless network card getting stuck while acquiring a network address. I would get constant messages like “Acquiring Network Address” or “Renewing Your IP Address”. But it would seem to get continually search for, but never acquire a network address or renew the IP address.

I did all the basic stuff like updating the wireless card driver, unplugging and plugging stuff back in, right clicking and selecting Repair in Windows XP and click Diagnose and Repair in Vista. But until I performed the steps below nothing worked.

Here’s the procedure that finally fixed it for me.

  1. Unplug the cable/DSL modem.
  2. Unplug the wireless router.
  3. Wait 60 seconds, then plug in the modem.
  4. When the modem is completely online, plug in the wireless router.
  5. On the PC, open a command prompt.
    1. On Windows Vista, click the Windows Orb, type “cmd.exe”. When “cmd.exe” appears under Programs, right click it and select “Run as administrator”.
    2. On Windows XP, click Start, Run, type cmd, click Ok.
  6. Once you have a command prompt, first type “ipconfig /flushdns”.
  7. Next, type “ipconfig /release”.
  8. Then, type “ipconfig /renew”.

Now I can connect to my secure wireless network with no problems. No more “Acquiring Network Address” or “Renewing Your IP Address” for me.

Your setup may differ, but the process should be similar. If you find any other solutions please post them in the comments below.

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3 Responses

  1. Well is it suppose to take a long time when you do
    ipconfig /renew

    well when i did it it says an error ovvured while
    renewing interface local area connection : unable to
    contact your DHCP server. Request has timed out.

    do you know how to fix that

  2. i had the same problem and an error occurred while renewing interface Wireless Network connection.
    Unable to contact DHCP server. Request timed out.

    Please help 🙂

  3. I had the problem with my wireless LAN icon often displaying “acquiring network address.” The internet worked in spite of the problem. After weeks of research and trying many suggestions, I finally found the answer to the problem. Let me give some specs first on my laptop:
    -IBM Thinkpad T30
    -Windows XP Home w/SP3
    -Intel Pro Wireless 2200BG LAN

    The solution:
    -Changed the wireless manager from Intel to Windows.
    -Turned off the tray icon for the Intel manager (This may not be necessary)

    The cause had to do with a glitch with the Intel manager or a “tug-of-war” between it and WinXP. I suggest, if applicable, switching to Windows as the wireless manager to solve the problem no matter what wireless device you have.

    To switch from Intel to Windows, right-click on the Intel Wireless icon in the “System Tray” and look for an option to switch to Windows as the wireless manager. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with your devices settings to turn off the tray icon (if necessary).

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