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  • Error message

    I have started getting this message on my main computer. I only noticed it last night, but I hadn't used that computer a lot over the past few days.
    "There is an IP address conflict with another system on the network."

    So, does this mean someone is stealing my signal?
    My foster daughter's friends were here the other night and had a wireless device of some type. They wanted to use the network. I told them I didn't know the encryption key, but is it possible they were able to get it from the laptop and are now hacked in?

    I don't know a lot about these things.

    We're firewalled, but I know that's not always reliable to someone who knows their way around.

    Is there some other less sinister and much easier solution?
    Too tired of living and too tired to end it. What a conundrum.

  • #2
    Well, it depends Ree. How far away do the friends live? If it's more than 100 metres away, I somehow don't think it's them as a standard wireless signal (indoor) varies from 30m to 100m. Even then, the signal strength would be so low it would be more effort than it's worth to try and connect.
    Who in your household does know the encryption key? I would highly reccomend changing it, for your peace of mind, and also make sure that you haven't got WEP enabled, but WPA (or WPA2) as they have higher security levels.

    Put it this way:
    No WEP - just closing the door
    WEP - closing and locking the door, but it's easily picked
    WPA/WPA2 - closing and locking the door, and installing a security gate.

    You can also try the following on your machine should you still get that error after the encryption key change:

    (I'm assuming you're using XP here )
    Click on Start, and Run
    In the Run field, type cmd

    It will open a little black DOS window.
    Type in ipconfig /release
    It will then release the IP Address.
    Then type ipconfig /renew

    This will assign a new IP Addy to your machine.

    Hope that helps!
    The report button - not just for decoration

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi Ree. This is a moderately difficult issue to resolve, but can be made easier if you have multiple computers you can use to troubleshoot it. Unfortunately, unless you're a weirdo like me, you probably don't, so I'll give some instructions assuming that you don't, and ask a few questions that will help us figure out the root cause of the problem.

      To clear the problem itself will be fairly easy. I'm assuming you run Windows XP for these directions. To verify, click the Start button, and look at the strip of text running up the left side of the menu. It will say Windows XP if you are, and something else if you aren't.

      I'm making another assumption in all of this: I'm assuming that you have some sort of router in the house, such as a Linksys, D-Link, or Netgear router. If you don't, if your computer is connected directly to the internet through a cable modem or dsl modem, stop here and call your ISP. The instructions I am providing below could get you in trouble if you do not have a router. If you are unsure if you have a router, we can work through that, too.

      Click Start->Control Panel. Once in the Control Panel, I find it easier to work in the "Classic" view, so you might want to click "Switch to Classic view" (or is it Classic Mode? Can never remember. You can always switch back later).

      Go into Network Connections. Chances are good that you have multiple connections listed, but only one of them is enabled and connected. Right click that connection, and click on Properties.

      There's a section called "This connection uses the following items". Find the item named "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)", click on it, and click on "Properties".

      Now, I'm actually going to hope that it's got "Use the following IP address" and "Use the following DNS servers" turned on. If it's got everything set to automatic, it becomes a little more complicated.

      If it is not using automatic settings, try changing the last set of digits under "IP Address" (so, for instance, if it says 192.168.1.101, change it to 192.168.1.102) up or down by one. If anything breaks, change it back. Write down what it was, though, as you will need it to find the source of the problem later.

      If it is using automatic settings, it can be decidedly more difficult, mainly because of the need to copy information until the problem is properly resolved. Here's how to find out what you need to know before you can change things:

      First, note the name of the network connection you are trying to fix up. Click Start->Run. Type in "cmd", and click "Ok".

      When the command prompt comes up, type in this command: "ipconfig /all".

      The more network connections you have, the more output will be printed. You want to find a section that is labelled with the name of your network connection. Within that section, you want to note down four pieces of information:

      IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Servers. Once you have those four pieces, type "exit", and hit return. Now, go back to the "Network Connections" control panel, all the way back to "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" properties tab. Switch from using automatic settings to "Use these" settings, and fill in the blanks with the values you got from "ipconfig /all". Now, once that's done, proceed as above as if it was never using automatic settings (making especially sure to remember what the address is right now!)

      Once that's done, the error should be cleared. This, though, is only a band-aid over the problem.

      You see, the real problem is that somebody has configured a device, and attached it to your network, and done so improperly. Every computer on any network has to have some sort of address so other computers can find it. Quite a few home networks use a router which is configured to automatically hand out addresses, meaning that if somebody legitimately connects to your home network they get an address and are on their merry way.

      In this case, somebody has connected, and manually configured an address without checking to make sure that there is no conflict. The end result is that you now have to figure out what device is misconfigured, fix it, and deal with whomever did the connection.

      That can be significantly harder to correct.

      Remember earlier I told you to remember that address? Here's why:

      First, reboot the computer. Click Start->Run. Enter "cmd" and click Ok.

      When the command prompt comes up, type "ping ip.address.from.before". You should see a set of lines that say "ping ip.address.from.before: response time 2ms" or something similar. If you see "No response from host" (or something similar), then the next step can't be done, not yet. Try periodically until you get responses.

      Now, you've just gotten a response. Type this command in "arp -a". This output will be the most cryptic, but also among the most useful to me and other IT geeks on this board. Honestly, it won't be as useful to you. Single best thing to do is right click in the window, click "Mark". Highlight the entire command and output, and then right-click again. It will now be copied into the clipboard.

      Come back to this thread, and paste the output. Also include what the old address was, and what the current address of your computer is. From there, we can determine the type of network card that is causing problems, which will likely help you pinpoint the machine that is giving you grief.

      And, from there, you can fix the root cause of the problem, and go back to the way things were configured

      Before posting: Just read iradney's post. Her steps might work. However, I'm pretty sure they won't, because they rely on something handing out addresses automatically. Those programs and devices have been well tested over the years, and (by now) don't hand out duplicate addresses any more. Getting this sort of conflict usually means that somebody manually configured an IP address, and it overlaps with the range of addresses being handed out automatically.

      And, even if it does work, it still won't correct the root of the problem, which is caused by someone misconfiguring a device somewhere.

      Comment


      • #4
        Quoth Pedersen View Post


        Before posting: Just read iradney's post. Her steps might work. However, I'm pretty sure they won't, because they rely on something handing out addresses automatically. Those programs and devices have been well tested over the years, and (by now) don't hand out duplicate addresses any more. Getting this sort of conflict usually means that somebody manually configured an IP address, and it overlaps with the range of addresses being handed out automatically.

        And, even if it does work, it still won't correct the root of the problem, which is caused by someone misconfiguring a device somewhere.
        Hehehe, true that. I am rather spoilt in that TTO takes care of the IP configs of our home network. Ree, I reckon go for Pedersen's instructions first - he is WAY WAY more knowledgeable than I in these matters.
        The report button - not just for decoration

        Comment


        • #5
          I think someone may have already informed you how to fix it...but it was too long for me to read. It's basically because you are probably using static addressing and, if you have multiple computers, one or more of your computers are sharing the same IP.

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