WIFI doesen't have a valid IP config.

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drake2b

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My laptop only about 2 months old has come up with this twice running-troubleshooter fixed it twice now the
third time it comes up with WIFI doesen't have a valid IP configuration (not fixed)these 3 times it happened over a two week period.Laptop is a HP also have HP desktop and have no trouble hooking up to WIFI and the
same with an IPAD,Android phone no trouble either!!
Anyone have ideas as to why it won't connect up? I am no computer GURU..

Thanks for any help
 

corbintechboy

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Could just be a bad driver.

Off memory here (I run Linux).

Right click the start button and go to device manager. Scroll through and look for your network device. Expand the device and right click and click uninstall device. Restart windows.

After restart your machine should detect new hardware and re install the driver. You would be surprised how many times this can fix the issue.
 

Rred

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New laptop?
CALL HP's TOLL FREE SUPPORT NUMBER.
They can and will do remote diagnostics to find out if there is a hardware fault in your laptop.
They can also go over your network setup, it can be as simple as your wifi router being too far away, or a neighbor's router using the same channel and making interference. Or you may have too many devices, and something else is "stealing" the address your computer last used. When that's the problem you need to start assigning static IP addresses, and your FREE HP PHONE SUPPORT will tell you how to do all that.
Yes, they need to remotely log into your computer to find out many things quickly to get you an answer.

Odds are it is either a configuration issue that they can solve, or a hardware issue and they'll warranty it.
 

delaware74b

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OP - can you connect the laptop directly to the router with a Cat5 cable and get a valid IP address?
 

n5ims

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Remote to a laptop that has no wifi connection?

Yes, it's done all the time. Now this remote connection isn't the type where the remote support person can directly access the computer, but where they communicate with the user, giving them the necessary commands and have that user report to them the responses. Once this has provided enough information, they can direct that user to make the necessary specific changes to fix the issue, at least enough so that the support person can access the computer directly. The added advantage of this is the user just might learn enough to do some of the investigation (and perhaps even fix the issue) on their own in the future.
 

buddrousa

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Sorry but I quoted Rred this is his last line.
Yes, they need to remotely log into your computer to find out many things quickly to get you an answer.
Now with no connection that can not happen. I do remote tech support every day and if you have no connection you can not connect to the computer. You can talk to the customer but this poster stated connect to a computer to fix it.
 

drake2b

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WIFI doesen't have a valid IP

OP - can you connect the laptop directly to the router with a Cat5 cable and get a valid IP address?

Yes I did try and the same results! I am about 3 feet away from WIFI so is the desktop works fine..
Ipad is OK and Android phone also!
Thanks for all the comments
 

buddrousa

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Drake it sounds like you have a network driver problem. You may can download the drivers on the desktop and put them on a usb drive and update the laptop. Short of that you may have to reload the OS and start over.
 

KB0VWG

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Have you taken the laptop to say a place that offers free WIFI and see if it happens there too? It sounds like a driver issue too but you never know.
kb0vwg
wqoi992
 

bharvey2

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As mentioned, it sounds like a wireless adapter driver problem. However, since it is fairly new, there might be one thing to look for as I had the same problem once: It could be that there is an aftermarket wi-fi adapter app trying to compete with the built in one for Windows. The two won't always play well together. If that is the case, try disabling one and see if that helps. If not, use a ethernet cable to plug your laptop directly into your router and trying updating or repairing the wi-fi adapter driver.
 

corbintechboy

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Yes I did try and the same results! I am about 3 feet away from WIFI so is the desktop works fine..
Ipad is OK and Android phone also!
Thanks for all the comments

As I said above, uninstall the driver and let Windows reinstall the driver.

When these OEMs build these machines, they mass install. So any number of things can go wrong. Corrupted drivers, software that don't work, graphic issues and the list goes on.

I actually recommend if one has the technical knowhow to download Windows 10 and do a fresh install. Not only does this solve any issues but it also removes all the crap the OEMS install.

Here is the link to get the ISO if interested:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO

And have no fear, installing Windows is a walk in the park. Download all your drivers from the OEM and dump them on a flash drive. Makes it much easier. Do at least network drivers.
 

Rred

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I'd have to seriously disagree.

First of all, all the OP has is an OEM license for that HP OEM version of Windows, since that is what it shipped with. HP was a prime developer with MS of NT5 (Windows2000) and maintained a close relationship afterwards. Their OEM versions are normally quite tightly tuned and rely on custom drivers to support their hardware.
So aside from not being licensed for a retail installation, his installation key "shouldn't" work to activate a retail installation. He'd have to make backup discs of the original, or try to buy them from HP, in case the retail install doesn't activate. And that's a real chance, happens quite often.
Second, the hardware drivers in the retail installation may not work with his hardware. Things like the video drivers and network drivers, yes, even the Wifi driver, may not work properly.
Back in NT5 (which really was the dividing line where NT became mainstream) MS rewrote the book and distributed something like 10,000 hardware drivers with the OS. I' afraid to ask how many are in their library now, since Win10 goes online and looks at the MS driver archives to find drivers. But, again, OEM drivers aren't always there. Using MS drivers instead of the specific (and often more recent) OEM drivers is toxic on many systems, or at least results in less than optimum performance.

Sorry, but putting a retail install on an OEM system is a recipe for...rolling the dice and maybe shooting craps. Even if you download what you think are all the OEM drivers, you won't be aware if there are any current issues with those drivers. (And there always are bad drivers, for something out there, and only real techies will be aware of them.)
While NT is much better at accommodating "strange" hardware than it used to be, it still relies on literally enumerating all the subsystems (drive controller, video, USB, Wifi, BT, audio system, etc.) and then compiling all the specific drivers during the install. If one of those drivers isn't quite right, it tries to fall back and load a generic driver--but again, that often leaves you in a "limp home" mode, not getting full or reliable performance. Sometimes the MS driver, or an older OEM driver, is better than a new one. A consumer won't know about that.

All this again means a free phone call to HP's misbegotten overseas support center is the fastest way to get the most reliable answer. Yes, sometimes they are just "script readers" but sometimes you get a good tech, who can make the fix without rolling any dice. The worst thing that can happen is HP fails, you warranty the machine back for a new one, and you don't have to worry about NT being installed incorrectly.

Mixing versions and drivers can leave you with literally MONTHS of screwing around with mysteries popping up. Been there, done that, too many times over too many years.

Years ago when DELL was a radical new company custom building systems, they routinely screwed up, mismatching hardware (if it wasn't in stock, they'd upgrade you for free so they could still ship fast) but they sometimes mismatched drivers and misconfigured systems in their rush. These days? Unless you order a "custom" machine, the drivers are all put together on the distribution image, and they will be matched to the machine--even if there are upgrades that will be found during the installation. (And I've seen Windows take literally 24 hours to finish screwing around with upgrades to the OS and hardware. It still ain't pretty.)

With remote access and remote diagnostics, a tech in Hyderabad can get into a computer, check the installation logs, check the driver versions, enumerate the hardware, TEST the hardware, all as if they were sitting at the keyboard. And you can kick them off at any time. The guys aren't just reading from a book these days, they are actually poking around INSIDE the computer. And if it is a simple configuration issue (very possible here) they will know how to spot that and correct it, although you may need to physically plug in a network cable to give them access until the Wifi is fixed.

The warranty has been bought and paid for, so why not use it?
 

corbintechboy

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I'd have to seriously disagree.

First of all, all the OP has is an OEM license for that HP OEM version of Windows, since that is what it shipped with. HP was a prime developer with MS of NT5 (Windows2000) and maintained a close relationship afterwards. Their OEM versions are normally quite tightly tuned and rely on custom drivers to support their hardware.
So aside from not being licensed for a retail installation, his installation key "shouldn't" work to activate a retail installation. He'd have to make backup discs of the original, or try to buy them from HP, in case the retail install doesn't activate. And that's a real chance, happens quite often.
Second, the hardware drivers in the retail installation may not work with his hardware. Things like the video drivers and network drivers, yes, even the Wifi driver, may not work properly.
Back in NT5 (which really was the dividing line where NT became mainstream) MS rewrote the book and distributed something like 10,000 hardware drivers with the OS. I' afraid to ask how many are in their library now, since Win10 goes online and looks at the MS driver archives to find drivers. But, again, OEM drivers aren't always there. Using MS drivers instead of the specific (and often more recent) OEM drivers is toxic on many systems, or at least results in less than optimum performance.

Sorry, but putting a retail install on an OEM system is a recipe for...rolling the dice and maybe shooting craps. Even if you download what you think are all the OEM drivers, you won't be aware if there are any current issues with those drivers. (And there always are bad drivers, for something out there, and only real techies will be aware of them.)
While NT is much better at accommodating "strange" hardware than it used to be, it still relies on literally enumerating all the subsystems (drive controller, video, USB, Wifi, BT, audio system, etc.) and then compiling all the specific drivers during the install. If one of those drivers isn't quite right, it tries to fall back and load a generic driver--but again, that often leaves you in a "limp home" mode, not getting full or reliable performance. Sometimes the MS driver, or an older OEM driver, is better than a new one. A consumer won't know about that.

All this again means a free phone call to HP's misbegotten overseas support center is the fastest way to get the most reliable answer. Yes, sometimes they are just "script readers" but sometimes you get a good tech, who can make the fix without rolling any dice. The worst thing that can happen is HP fails, you warranty the machine back for a new one, and you don't have to worry about NT being installed incorrectly.

Mixing versions and drivers can leave you with literally MONTHS of screwing around with mysteries popping up. Been there, done that, too many times over too many years.

Years ago when DELL was a radical new company custom building systems, they routinely screwed up, mismatching hardware (if it wasn't in stock, they'd upgrade you for free so they could still ship fast) but they sometimes mismatched drivers and misconfigured systems in their rush. These days? Unless you order a "custom" machine, the drivers are all put together on the distribution image, and they will be matched to the machine--even if there are upgrades that will be found during the installation. (And I've seen Windows take literally 24 hours to finish screwing around with upgrades to the OS and hardware. It still ain't pretty.)

With remote access and remote diagnostics, a tech in Hyderabad can get into a computer, check the installation logs, check the driver versions, enumerate the hardware, TEST the hardware, all as if they were sitting at the keyboard. And you can kick them off at any time. The guys aren't just reading from a book these days, they are actually poking around INSIDE the computer. And if it is a simple configuration issue (very possible here) they will know how to spot that and correct it, although you may need to physically plug in a network cable to give them access until the Wifi is fixed.

The warranty has been bought and paid for, so why not use it?

His license key is encoded in the BIOS and will work as long as he chooses the right version.

HP does not sit there, build the computer, then have a person install the OS.

I have been into technology my whole life and have repaired computers for people for years. And yes, in all my years I have found that reinstalling the OS can solve many problems. And warranty will not remove the crap that comes stock on most OEM computers.

My advice is solid and is backed by years of experience so calling me out is wrong. You may have valid points but so do I and saying "I'd have to seriously disagree" is strictly based on your opinion and your want to call a call center based out of India and talk to someone you can barely understand all so they can remote into your computer and still not fix the problem. How do I know? Because when these OEMs fail to fix the problem and these people come to people like me and I have dealt with them many times.

So, have your opinion and that is fine. Don't paint someone as wrong who has done this for many years.

Just to add. Many times these OEMs have driver update programs you can install to keep drivers up to date. And this is a solid option on a clean install as well and they can usually be downloaded from where you download the drivers.
 
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Rred

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I didn't "call you out" but as you noted, I'm expressing my opinion, and yes, that's based on breaking or fixing or building systems since IBM360 days.

Inevitably, "rebricking" a system by nuking it and starting from scratch translates into "I can't figure out what's wrong so I'm just going to trash it all" and it means the person trying to fix it, is in over their head. And before you go getting all upset about that--yes, I've done it too, on rare occasion, when a system is so corrupt with so many errors that even MS's advanced support couldn't figure it out. (Probable rootkit damage.)

That stranger in India is not my first choice, but I've also seen MCSE's here in the States get clever and do things that MS says "Don't do!" and more often than not? There were consequences, sometimes requiring one of those rebricks. But someone who knows the system, can literally tell from the file date and version if a system was installed correctly, or not. That's why the free phone call to the warranty support guy is the best first attack on this. Or, a hands-on trip to the local computer store, where the guys may be trained no better but they'll certainly be glad to charge $100 just to take a look.

Your experiences obviously differ from mine. That doesn't make them more or less valid. But you're telling the OP to not even bother using the prepaid support he can have. And from recent conversations with some of the Indian support centers, I can tell you that SOME of them are not just boiler rooms, some of them actually have techs who are just as sharp as the best ones we have here.

For free? What can he lose, an hour of his time? You can't install anything in an hour, much less rebuild an entire system. And if you rebuild it, without first verifying that there's no hardware error or simple configuration error? All you've done is to waste a tremendous amount of time. And possibly misconfigure the system.

Last time I checked with MS, the activation keys for OEM OSes were not embedded in the BIOS at all. BIOS being obsoleted by UEFI anyway, with not much being said about how using UEFI will ignore potentially all the BIUOS firmware code. An NT OS enumerates all the hardware devices, including the CPU ID, the hard drive(s) ID, the video system ID...all the way down the line. And then it looks at that list and records it during activation. For an OEM version, it compares the BIOS version to those allowed in the OEM OS. Not an embedded activation code, but the BIOS version. As long as the motherboard and CPU are the same *type*, it will usually allow swaps and activate. But it is (usually, varies with the OS) keyed to the types, not to any code string beyond the BIOS version, or perhaps the UEFI code in the new versions. (MS keeps changing the rules, it was fun when XP could be tied to "any" piece of hardware, even a keyboard or mouse, and the entire rest of the system could be swapped out forever, as long as that one piece was in it. But before XP went big time, they changed that back to "the cpu, motherboard, or hard drive". Within Win10...I no longer ask.)

"Brick it" is what you say when there's nothing else left to do. Removing unwanted programs? There are other ways to accomplish that. No reason to go nuclear with everything points to one configuration error, or one easily changed hardware module. The Wifi module usually will be similar to an SD card, and about as hard to change. So yes, I strongly disagree with going nuclear when there are such SIMPLE free options that have to be checked, either way. You rebrick it and the Wifi card is the problem, and he'll lose a day of time, and have to warranty it anyway.

"Takee fixee" ? Or spend a whole day messing around? Why?
 
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corbintechboy

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I didn't "call you out" but as you noted, I'm expressing my opinion, and yes, that's based on breaking or fixing or building systems since IBM360 days.

Inevitably, "rebricking" a system by nuking it and starting from scratch translates into "I can't figure out what's wrong so I'm just going to trash it all" and it means the person trying to fix it, is in over their head. And before you go getting all upset about that--yes, I've done it too, on rare occasion, when a system is so corrupt with so many errors that even MS's advanced support couldn't figure it out. (Probable rootkit damage.)

That stranger in India is not my first choice, but I've also seen MCSE's here in the States get clever and do things that MS says "Don't do!" and more often than not? There were consequences, sometimes requiring one of those rebricks. But someone who knows the system, can literally tell from the file date and version if a system was installed correctly, or not. That's why the free phone call to the warranty support guy is the best first attack on this. Or, a hands-on trip to the local computer store, where the guys may be trained no better but they'll certainly be glad to charge $100 just to take a look.

Your experiences obviously differ from mine. That doesn't make them more or less valid. But you're telling the OP to not even bother using the prepaid support he can have. And from recent conversations with some of the Indian support centers, I can tell you that SOME of them are not just boiler rooms, some of them actually have techs who are just as sharp as the best ones we have here.

For free? What can he lose, an hour of his time? You can't install anything in an hour, much less rebuild an entire system. And if you rebuild it, without first verifying that there's no hardware error or simple configuration error? All you've done is to waste a tremendous amount of time. And possibly misconfigure the system.

Last time I checked with MS, the activation keys for OEM OSes were not embedded in the BIOS at all. BIOS being obsoleted by UEFI anyway, with not much being said about how using UEFI will ignore potentially all the BIUOS firmware code. An NT OS enumerates all the hardware devices, including the CPU ID, the hard drive(s) ID, the video system ID...all the way down the line. And then it looks at that list and records it during activation. For an OEM version, it compares the BIOS version to those allowed in the OEM OS. Not an embedded activation code, but the BIOS version. As long as the motherboard and CPU are the same *type*, it will usually allow swaps and activate. But it is (usually, varies with the OS) keyed to the types, not to any code string beyond the BIOS version, or perhaps the UEFI code in the new versions. (MS keeps changing the rules, it was fun when XP could be tied to "any" piece of hardware, even a keyboard or mouse, and the entire rest of the system could be swapped out forever, as long as that one piece was in it. But before XP went big time, they changed that back to "the cpu, motherboard, or hard drive". Within Win10...I no longer ask.)

"Brick it" is what you say when there's nothing else left to do. Removing unwanted programs? There are other ways to accomplish that. No reason to go nuclear with everything points to one configuration error, or one easily changed hardware module. The Wifi module usually will be similar to an SD card, and about as hard to change. So yes, I strongly disagree with going nuclear when there are such SIMPLE free options that have to be checked, either way. You rebrick it and the Wifi card is the problem, and he'll lose a day of time, and have to warranty it anyway.

"Takee fixee" ? Or spend a whole day messing around? Why?

I understand what your saying but times have changed.

HP PCs - Windows 10 Product Activation | HP® Customer Support

Right from the place he bought his computer from. The key is stored in the BIOS and a hardware I.D is created. So as long as the motherboard and CPU stay the same, a copy of Windows 10 Home will install by bypassing the key window. Install the system and it will auto activate when connected to the internet.

I wouldn't consider a whole day messing around installing Windows. I can go from bare system to full Windows desktop in probably around 20 minutes. I however don't use windows but I have done plenty of installs in my time. Computers are really fast now and with an SSD, nothing is painful.

I understand your point about warranty. But I had an experience with HP years ago and it was a nightmare. Wiped the included Windows 7 to remove every trace of crap OEMs install and did my own install. After the install the right speaker would not work. Argued back and forth with someone from India and they were trying to tell me that I have to run their version of Windows for everything to work. I told the guy he was nuts and a driver is a driver and whether it is a clean install or a bloated install by an OEM makes no difference. So then I ask for a supervisor. The supervisor hands me the same crap and I argue with him for over an hour. Finally they agreed to take it back and I had to ship it. I took the hard drive out and shipped it and sure enough a wire came lose at the speaker and they admitted it was their fault.

My point is this, why put yourself through undo suffering simply to claim a warranty that is likely going to run you in circles? Remote assistance from these OEMs is a joke as well. Installing Windows yourself does not void your warranty and it provides you with a clean install crapware free, faster boot times, more storage space, driver fix (in this situation anyways) and it hurts nothing.

I respect your view and I hope you respect mine. I'm just a more of the "take matters into my own hands" type of person and I choose not to complicate things. Calling here and there and having people remote into my computer just so in the end have that end the same, nah, do it myself and save the hassle and walk away with a nice clean system. I win.

I've been using Linux for these reasons and more since 1999. It just works and I am in control of my system. No malware or other issues to worry about not to mention the privacy issues.

I love tech so sorry for being long winded here.
 

buddrousa

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NT5 I started with DOS 3.0 and still have a DOS 6 386 running on a network just to play with. This is why it is recommended to backup data and the reformat reinstall is the best and fastest option to get the system back up and running for the OP. I state download the network drivers on another PC and it that does not work reload the OS.
 

Rred

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No apologies for long wind needed, I just learned where MS moved some of the furniture to, again.(G)
Putting the product key in the BIOS and (rashly assuming) every key is unique, would address MS's constant search for a way to get rid of shared enterprise keys which are so commonly bootlegged. Except of course, someone will (or already has?(G) found ways to crack them, to generate false ones, and of course, to wedge them into the BIOS exactly the same way that any BIOS flash would rewrite them. Bottom line, this new(ish) kludge ain't gonna hunt. But even HP says it won't always work on that URL you cited.

SSDs do help, but last time I did a Win10 upgrade on a perfectly good system, MS literally took 24 hours over a good broadband connection to fix and load everything, and although that system wasn't an SSD, in 24 hours even a plain hard drive can stow a lot of data. Matter of fact, that one failed to complete three times--each 24 hours--and that's when I was shocked to find the "new" MS support in India actually could resolve the problem and get it finished within the hour.

"My point is this, why put yourself through undo suffering simply to claim a warranty that is likely going to run you in circles? " Because as you found, sometimes it IS a loose wire, and just saying "Takee Fixee" is the only way that's gonna get fixed, unless you're into hardware repair.

My Evil Twin Brother has been known to ask "Are there many tigers in your village?" when trying to determine if a boiler room operation is in the Philippines (no tigers) or India.

But about LINUX and no malware...like the Apple folks said, no there's no malware problem. Hmmm...except they sweep them under the rug and have for over 20 years. It is just a smaller target, so there are fewer attacks. But the good folks at CERT and other agencies have statistics that say otherwise, there's no OS that has been immune to malware. LINUX is great if you are programming and doing custom systems, but when you have to move and work in different offices and companies--they require Wintel skills, not *NIX, on the desks. Although I've worked with mixed networks (UNIX, Apple, and Wintel) and even terrified a roomful of mainframe techs by using DOS EDIT to force an HP laser printer to manually load a font set. (He's using DOS! On our printer! Quickly, bring more priests and crosses!"

On my home planet, we don't have these computer problems. Aeons ago, the people rose up en masse and slaughtered alleged programmers in the cubicles and in the streets. Dragged them out of vent shafts, impaled them on lampposts, left the corpses to dry in the wind and rot in the rain.

And as a result, the few surviving programmers and techs learned to take extreme care in what they did, and they haven't released ONE line of buggy code ever since. Their descendants are honored and respected, as a result.

Here, things don't seem to have gone as well.(G)
 
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