Follow these steps to quickly release and/or renew the Internet Protocol (IP) address of a computer running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: < 1 minute
Here's How:
- Click the Start menu button on the Windows taskbar.
- Click Run... on this menu.
- Type 'winipcfg' (without the quotes) in the text box that appears. A new window appears on the screen. The "IP Address" field shows the current IP address for the default network adapter.
- If the computer is holding a current IP address, click the Release button to let go of the address.
- Click the Renew button to obtain a new IP address (whether or not the computer is holding a current address).
Tips:
- If it is not necessary to view the current IP addresses on a computer, simply type 'winipcfg /release' or 'winipcfg /renew' (without the quotes) to save a step in the process.
- To bring a computer back onto the network after moving it to a different location, or experiencing an unexpected outage, first release, then renew the IP address. Computers on DHCP networks often (but not always) re-establish network connectivity automatically.
What You Need:
- Win95, Win98, or WinME
- IP network connectivity
