A very common problem as an Ethernet user you may face is the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error. This error is related to NIC (Network Interface Card), a hardware that connects Ethernet cable to your PC to access internet on your PC. Whenever the NIC is not able to obtain a valid IP address, the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration Windows 10 error will show up.
You will not be able to surf the internet when the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error shows up. It is because of the fact that the communication between your PC and your router is interrupted because a valid IP is not available for this process to take place.
Also Read: – Fix Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration in Windows 10
So, what are the ways to tackle this situation?
How To Fix Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration Windows 10 Error
There are various methods that could work as a solution to this error, but you can never be sure. In this piece, I have listed the top known methods that have helped users to solve this specific Ethernet error the most. Beginning with the top method that worked the most for users, you can try other methods till the Windows 10 Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error is solved.
Of course, the first and foremost thing that you should do is restart your PC as this error shows up. This may or may not fix the problem permanently. If it doesn’t, proceed with the methods stated below.
#1 – Turn Off, Unplug, Plug and Restart PC
As silly and simple it may sound, this method has genuinely worked for many users to fix Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error in Windows 10.
As soon as you get this error, shut down your PC, unplug the PC power cables, then wait for a couple of minutes. After that, plug your PC back into the power supply, and restart it. To your surprise, this method would have solved your problem. If it did, then all well and good.
In a few cases, users reported that this method turned out to be a temporary one, as the error would show up again after some time. This would require you to restart your PC again in the same fashion. If that is happening, or if this method didn’t solve the problem at all, then the following methods are for you to try.
#2 – Set PC to Obtain IP Address Automatically
As we saw above, the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error shows up when NIC is unable to obtain a valid IP. A property of you PC named DHCP helps it obtain IP address automatically. So, in this method, you have to make sure that your PC is set to obtain IP address automatically. For this, you will be changing some settings of your Network Adapter. Here are the steps that you should follow:
Step 1: Open the Run dialog box. For this, press Windows + R keys together. In the Run box, type ncpa.cpl and press the Enter button.
Step 2: Right-click on the connected Ethernet connection. From the right-click menu, select the Properties option.
Step 3: This will open the Ethernet Properties window. Here, from the list, double-click on the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) option.
Step 4: In the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window that opens, you have to make sure that the radio buttons of the following two options are selected:
– Obtain an IP address automatically
– Obtain DNS server address automatically
Now, click on the Ok button to apply the changes. After that, give your PC a reboot. Once your PC starts again, see if the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error occurs again. If so, here’s another suggested step for you to follow.
Follow the Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 mentioned above to open the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window. Here, just select the Use the following DNS server address radio button. Then, in the DNS address boxes, enter Google’s DNS address mentioned below:
8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4
Now again after entering the DNS address, click on the Ok button. After that give your PC a restart, then see if you are getting the Ethernet error.
If the error persists to show up, try out the next method.
#3 – Enable DHCP to Fix Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration Error
Now that you have made sure that IP selection is set to automatic, in this method we will go about enabling DHCP. As we know from the previous method, DHCP is responsible for obtaining valid IP address for the internet to work.
If DHCP is not enabled, your PC will not be able to fetch a working IP, thus Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error will show up.
You can enable the DHCP service right from the Services tool. Let us check out the process to enable DHCP manually:
Step 1: Open the Run box by pressing Windows + R keys together. In the Run box, type services.msc and hit the Enter key.
Step 2: This will open the Services window. Here, you will find a list of services that run on your PC. Find the DHCP Client from the list and double-click on it.
Step 3: The DHCP Client Properties window will open up. Here, from the Startup type drop-down, select the Automatic option. After that, click on the Ok button.
Step 4: Return back to the Services window, again locate the DHCP Client service. Right click on DHCP Client, and click on the Restart option in the right-click menu.
A dialog box will open to confirm if you want to restart DHCP Client; press the Yes button to proceed.
You may require to restart your PC after this process. After the restart, check if you able to access the internet without getting the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration Windows 10 error.
4 – Update/Reinstall Network Adapter
It might be possible that there is some issue with the Ethernet card driver software. The driver could either be outdated or just could be fetching some error. You can go about updating the existing NIC driver to fix the issue. If the driver is updated to the latest version, you can try to reinstall it. Here are the steps to follow to Update or Reinstall Network Adapter:
Note: If the internet on your PC is not working at all, it is recommended that you download the latest Ethernet driver for your PC beforehand on another device, then store in on your PC in any folder.
For this, go to your PC’s manufacturer’s website, and download the latest ethernet driver compatible with your PC. If you have an assembled PC, check out who is the maker of your network interface card or ethernet card, note down the NIC’s model, then go to the NIC’s manufacturer’s website to download its latest driver.
Step 1: Open the Device Manager by pressing Windows + X and selecting the Device Manager option from the menu.
Step 2: When the Device Manager window opens, expand the Network adapters option. In the expanded menu of Network adapters, look for Ethernet card driver. Right click on it and select the Update Driver Software option from the right-click menu that opens.
Step 3: Another window that opens up will have two options. The first one lets you update driver automatically, while the second one is to manually update driver. Select the Search automatically for updated driver software option. This will begin the automatic driver update process in case your internet is working.
If the driver is updated automatically, then you will need to restart your PC, then check for the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error.
In case the internet is not working, you will have to manually select the latest ethernet driver that you just downloaded according to the Note section above.
To do so, follow the above steps, but in the last Step, that is Step #3, instead of automatically updating driver, select the Manually Update Driver option.
After that, a new window will open, where you will need to browse and select the NIC driver from the folder where you have stored it.
Once the driver is installed, simply restart your PC and look if the error still occurs. If it does, try out the Method #5.
#5 – Reset IP to Fix Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration Windows 10 Error
Some of the users also reported that resetting IP did the trick for them. It is a fairly simple process and can be carried out in a couple of steps. This can be done through Command Prompt. Follow these steps to know how:
Step 1: Open Command Prompt with Admin privileges. For this, press the Windows + X keys at a time. Now, from the menu that will open, click on the Command Prompt (Admin) option. When prompted for permission, click on the Yes option.
Step 2: In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter button:
netsh winsock reset
After the above command runs successfully, type the following next command and press Enter:
netsh int ip reset
Once these commands run successfully, your PC’s IP would be reset. This should solve the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration issue on your Windows 10 PC.
#6 – Disable IPv6
Here’s another simple method that users have reported to work that solves the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error on your PC. It comprises of just a couple of simple steps and can be carried out quickly. Follow these steps to disable IPv6 on your PC:
Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys at a time to open the Run box. In the Run box, type ncpa.cpl, then press the Enter button.
Step 2: A list of internet connections will show up. Here, look for the Ethernet connection you are connected to. Right click on it, and select the Properties option from the context menu.
Step 3: When the Ethernet Properties tool or window opens, look for Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) option in the list. Right before the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) option, you will find a checkbox. Uncheck that checkbox, then click on the Ok button at the bottom of the window.
Now, try to access the internet and see if the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error shows up again. If the issue was not fixed, give the next method a try.
#7 – Disable Microsoft Kernel Debug Network Adapter
At times, unknown network adapters show up in Device Manager. These adapters, such as the Microsoft Kernel Debug Network Adapter may cause the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration to show up. In such cases, you will need to get into Device Manager and disable it. This again is a simple process and is verified by users to have helped them solve the Ethernet error. Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Press Windows + X keys together. From the menu that opened, select the Device Manager option.
Step 2: In Device Manager, expand the Network adapter settings and look for the Microsoft Kernel Debug Network Adapter device driver. When found, right click on it and from the context menu, select the Disable device option.
When done, restart your PC, and check if the error shows up again. If the error was not solved, try out the next method.
#8 – Assign MAC Address To Network Interface Card
If your PC’s MAC address is not set with the NIC or Network Interface Card, then there’s a chance the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error will trouble you. This issue has chances to be common among users with a new PC or new Ethernet connection. If you, as a user, fall into that category, then carry out the following steps to assign MAC address to NIC:
Step 1: Run Command Prompt in Admin mode. For this, press the Windows + X keys together, then from the Win + X menu, click on Command Prompt (Admin) option.
Step 2: In the Command Prompt window, type ipconfic /all and press the Enter button. A list of information will come up on the Command Prompt screen. There, look for Physical Address section. When found, note down your PC’s physical address.
Step 3: In this step, we open the Ethernet Properties window by following the Step 1 and Step 2 of Method #6. When the Ethernet Properties window opens, click on the Configure button.
Step 4: In this step, we assign the MAC address to the NIC. In the Configure window that opens, go to the Advanced tab. There, select the Network Address from the Property list. You will get a Value box on the right side to enter the MAC address.
Just enter the Physical mac address value noted in step 2 above in the value field.
Once you have entered the value, click on the Ok button.
That’s it, this should solve the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration Windows 10 error. If it did not, try out the next method.
#9 – Check the Ethernet Cable / Restart Router
I am sure that you must have already tried this, but in case you did not, check if your Ethernet is connected at both ends properly. You can just remove the Ethernet cable from PC and from your router and put them back again just to make sure.
Restarting router also sometimes works as a remedy to the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration error. So make sure you power off your router for around a minute or half, then turn it back on.
If checking the ethernet cable and restarting router did not do the trick, here’s the last solution for you to try.
#10 – Disable – Enable NIC (Network Interface Card)
Probably, disabling and enabling the NIC back on did the trick for some users. So here I tell how to Disable and Enable the Network Interface Card to fix the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration issue in Windows 10. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Network Connections window. For this, press the Windows + R keys together and open the Run box. Type ncpa.cpl in the Run box, and press the Enter button on your keyboard.
Step 2: From the list of internet connections available in the Network Connections window that opens, locate the Ethernet connection that you are connected with. Make a right click on the ethernet connection, then click the Disable button.
Step 3: Wait for a few seconds, then right click again on the ethernet connection that you are connected to. From the context menu, press the Enable button.
Once your Ethernet connection is restarted, there are chances that the error will not show up.
Finally,
If none of the above methods worked for you, then make sure that everything is Okay with your internet connection from the server side. You can contact your internet guys and tell them about your issue. Do not forget to mention whatever methods you have tried to fix the Ethernet Doesn’t Have A Valid IP Configuration Windows 10 error.
Also, do not forget to mention in the comments that which method did work for you. This may save a lot of time of people facing the similar issue.