IP address error, no matter what network?
I was away from home for a few weeks and using a shaky internet connection out in the middle of nowhere. Then, I came home three days ago and tried the use the same network I've used for years without a problem, and suddenly, I could only connect to the network with limited access because supposedly there was another computer with the same ip address as mine on the network. I tried resetting the wireless network adapter probably fifty times or so, disabling and re-enabling the network and adapter, renewing the ip address, and pretty much anything and everything else I could think of. Nothing worked at home, so I finally gave up and went to Starbucks to get some public wifi and I had the exact same problem with the ip address. Finally, I ran system restore, and it worked at Starbucks, but again, not at home. Today, I thought I'd try it at McDonalds, and again I got the ip address error. I tried the usual stuff with no luck, and then restored it to a prior point, but couldn't get it to work at all at McDonalds. But now, I'm back using the shaky connection out in the middle of nowhere and for the moment, it's working fine. I have the suspicion, however, that this is only a temporary fix, which is why I'm asking this now, while I have internet.
So what's going on? Obviously, there isn't a computer with the exact same ip address as mine at every network I try! Anyone know how the heck I solve this?
Have I tried turning off and on again? Only about 300 times. Trust me, if the fix was that easy, I wouldn't be asking. And if that's a reference to the IT Crowd, I appreciate that it's supposed to be funny, but I'm really not in the mood. I need this problem solved, and no, it's not as easy as that.
Thanks, Bob. I'll give that a shot.