Oddly enough, many users of Windows operating systems, starting with the seventh version and higher, very often encounter the problem of connecting to a local network or the Internet, and the diagnostic utility gives a description in the results that “Ethernet module does not have valid IP settings ". The situation is not catastrophic, and the problem can be eliminated by several methods, which are proposed for further consideration.
The adapter does not have valid IP settings: what is the problem?
This situation can occur either when the current connection is incorrectly configured (it does not matter if Wi-Fi access or a wired Ethernet connection is used) or if there are problems on the part of the provider.
In both cases, it will be reported that the connection does not have valid IP settings .
To check in the section of network connections from the PCM menu on the selected network, you need to select the status bar, and then in the new window click on the details button. Next, you should see if the fields for the IP address, gateway, and DHCP and DNS servers are filled.
If a combination other than 192.168 and later (for example, 169.254, etc.) is indicated in the IP address, such a connection will not work, and the problem is that the protocol is configured incorrectly on the terminal itself. If there are no values for the indicated servers, it can be assumed that the problems occurred on the provider side (the DHCP server “dropped”).
The network does not have valid IP settings: what to do first?
Perhaps the connection problem is temporary. Therefore, when it is reported that the Internet does not have valid IP settings, for starters you can simply disconnect from the network and then reconnect.
This is done by clicking on the connection icon in the system tray or by calling the corresponding section with the ncpa.cpl command, where the disconnect string is selected from the context menu, and then the reconnection is selected.
In the case of using a Wi-Fi network, as an additional measure, you can use a complete reboot of the router, disconnecting it from the power supply for about 10 seconds, turning it on again and waiting for a full load.
Retrieving IP Settings
However, the problem may be in incorrectly installed network settings. When the system reports that the adapter (or network) does not have valid IP settings, this is the most common situation.
To resolve the failure, you can use the tactics of re-obtaining IP parameters. To do this, you will have to run the command console with administrator rights, and then register two commands in it, as shown in the figure below.
Then you should close the console and check the connection either by trying to connect, or by the same diagnostic tool. Perhaps the message that the network module does not have valid IP settings will no longer appear.
Manual settings
But this may not help, in particular when automatic IP is set in the current protocol settings. In the description of the problem, a link may again appear that the adapter does not have valid IP settings .
The way out of this situation is to set the correct values in manual mode. To perform these operations, go to the network connection section and, using the property bar, go to the protocol settings (usually IPv4). Here you will have to register the IP address yourself (the address of the router in which the last number was changed), the gateway (the value should match the address of the router in the case of a wireless network), and for DNS servers, set the values from four eights or from two eights and two fours.
Reset Network Settings
In some cases, the previous operation may not be necessary. When the network connection does not have valid IP settings, you can sometimes use a factory reset.
In this case, you will again need to call the command line and take the following actions with the appropriate commands, as shown in the images.
After completing all the commands, you can re-check the network status. Sometimes a failure can be fixed without problems in this way.
Net boot system
Often, the so-called clean start of the system, that is, loading with the maximum shutdown of unnecessary services, can help to correct the situation with the notification that the network module does not have valid IP settings.
To perform such a download, you will need to enter the system configuration (the msconfig command in the “Run” console), on the general settings tab, set the selective launch line active and remove the checkmark from the load line of auto start items.
Then, in the same section, go to the services tab, check the box on the Microsoft services hiding line located at the bottom left, and for all that remains, use the deactivation button ("Disable All") at the bottom right. As a rule, when you restart the system (which, incidentally, must be completed without fail), the problem disappears.
Antivirus, firewall, third-party programs and drivers
However, difficulties may not end there. The fact is that some antiviruses, the built-in Windows firewall and installed applications can also create connection problems.
In this case, first you should temporarily disable anti-virus protection. In addition, using the firewall.cpl command, you can open the firewall settings and activate the firewall protection disable lines, although this is not recommended.
Finally, check the list of installed programs. For example, if a user installed iTunes, the Bonjour utility is installed with it, which can also cause a lot of problems. Perhaps its complete removal will fix the failure.
In the very last case, when nothing helps, you can try to completely remove the network adapter driver and reinstall it by first downloading the latest version from the manufacturer’s website. The “Device Manager” is used for removal, and the driver can be downloaded, for example, from another computer, after which it can be transferred to your terminal by copying to removable media.
If this does not work, you can use Microsoft's NetShell utility, which can be downloaded from the company's official website.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it remains to add that at least one of the proposed methods can still fix the problem. It all depends on what exactly was the root cause of the failure. But in most cases, resetting network settings, updating IP settings, or setting the correct values in the protocol settings manually helps.
Of course, inadequate hardware or incorrectly installed drivers, some unnecessary applications, antiviruses (most often free Avast) and the built-in Windows protection system can also negatively affect the state of connections, but if everything worked before, and then it stopped, apparently the problem didn’t in that.
The reasons did not indicate the effects of viruses, which could also lead to such failures. This is due only to the fact that each user, so to speak, by default must himself monitor his system and undertake checks for threats, since even the most powerful protection tools can skip malicious codes or program modules that have just appeared, and in the databases There are no antiviruses yet.