# Solved: Windows 8.1 limited connectivity



## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

Hi guys,

I came here many years ago and got an issue resolved and figured I'd give it another shot. I've been all over the internet and tried many fixes for this but nothing seems to work.

I guess I'll start with the rig...

My mother in law just gave me a Samsung notebook with an intel i5
It's got 64 bit windows 8.1 on it
Sorry I can't download the sysinfo or anything like that, I can't get it online in any way from home. No wifi or ethernet from my home router. If I have the spare time during the week I might be able to get it done on another network. (It does connect to other wireless)

I've tried all of the basic stuff like power cycling and resetting. Other devices connect to the router. I have a dell laptop and a desktop that use wireless and ethernet respectively. They both run windows 7 and connect just fine.

I can't do an ipconfig/release because I get the error messege that "An error occurred while releasing interface Wi-Fi-An address has not yet been associated with the network endpoint.

I've tried to do the netsh reset commands but it won't let me reset. It says that access is denied. I've tuned the TCP, reset the driver to manufacturer and a few other tricks suggested online. Nothing.

I know the IP is bogus. It's a 169.254xxx number, but I don't know how to change that. A few forums talked about how to change that but the methods they described didn't get me where I was supposed to go on my rig.

ipconfig/all yields

Wireless LAN adapter wifi

physical address b4-b6-76-52-37-3a
DHCP enabled... yes
autoconfiguration enabled... yes
link-local ipv6 address... fe80::a1a0:de7a:6ec5:11d6%2(Preferred)
autoconfiguration ipv4 address...169.254.17.214(preferred)
subnet mask... 255.255.0.0
default gateway... (blank)
dhcpv6 iaid... 331646216
dhcpv6 client duid... 00-01-00-01-19-f8-fb-51-50-b7-c3-10-ba-85
dns servers... fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
2%1
3%1
netbios over tcpip... enabled

I am noob as hell. You'll probably have to do a lot of hand holding with me.

Thanks in advance.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

is the user setup as an admin account ?

what firewall/security suite is on the PC ?

did it work OK for your mother-in-law ?

with an Ethernet cable connected - 
try safemode with networking

For windows 8

http://www.7tutorials.com/5-ways-boot-safe-mode-windows-8-windows-81
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/windows-startup-settings-including-safe-mode
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows-8/ss/windows-8-safe-mode.htm


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

Yes, this account is set up as an administrator. All the cmd commands I've run have been as an administrator.

Ran Safe boot with network checked using the msconfig.exe. No internet with either eithernet or wireless. Straight up no access with ethernet and limited connectivity with wireless.

Im sure she would have told me if she couldnt get the wireless to work, but as for my own experience I've connected it on another wireless network successfully. It seems to dislike my router, but my PC and my dell laptop both connect to this router just fine.

Running Sophos on this rig.


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## Skymeat (Jan 13, 2014)

It sounds like you've done a good bit of troubleshooting already. That's awesome!

What I see from the ipconfig output is you're autoconfigured on ipv4 and ipv6. So the laptop is not receiving a DHCP response from the wifi. 

I'd try first off plugging into the AP to see if you can connect via ethernet. That should tell you is the AP is giving out addresses. 

The AP might be MAC filtering too....


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

Don't know what the AP is. I've *tried to connect* via ethernet though.


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## Skymeat (Jan 13, 2014)

AP = Access Point = Wifi. Sorry about that. I just went into lingo. If you can connect via ethernet (plugged into the AP) it should be doing it's DHCP thing. Is there a switch perhaps to enable wifi (Likely not the problem though)? 

Do you have a cell phone that you can tether the laptop to? That would at least let us know the wifi is working properly.


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

I hate to sound snippy to someone who's trying to help me, but I said previously in at least two posts that I have tried to connect via ethernet with no luck. It was suggested that I connect in safe mode with networking and try that as well. No luck again. I also mentioned that my Dell laptop and PC both connect just fine. I'm currently connected to the router as we speak through my PC.

If I didn't make that clear I apologize. Again, I know you're trying to help me(for free). I'm not trying to be rude.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

> I've connected it on another wireless network successfully.


 so its your router thats seems to be the issue 
as you cannot connect wireless or Ethernet.

does sound like some form of capability issue with the router,

you DELL Laptop and PC are they running windows 8 at all

whats the make and exact model of the router ,in case there is a later version of the firmware


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

The dell and the PC are both running windows 7 and have never had a problem.

It could possibly be the router. It seems to be newer things that can't connect to it. My droid RAZR HD connected just fine, but my wife's galaxy S3 couldn't.

It's a NETGEAR N300 WNR2000


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

But then again the galaxy S3 is notorious for being finicky with wireless


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

is it a version V4 you have 
http://support.netgear.com/product/WNR2000v4#wrapper

how old is the router ?
if new , i would talk to Netgear


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

The link didn't work. The router is a few years old. What would be wrong with the router if other devices are able to connect? I've also read all over the net that windows 8.1 has a terrible time with routers.
Any clue as to why I would be getting the 169.254xxx number?

But I guess I'll go over and post in the netgear forums as well.


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## jvic (Apr 17, 2004)

surrealkiller said:


> Any clue as to why I would be getting the 169.254xxx number?
> 
> .


it means that Windows cannot find a DHCP server to obtain an IP address, so it assigns an autoconfiguration IP address.


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

It feels to me like that's the heart of the problem. It can't find the DHCP. Windows 7 can but windows 8.1 can't. I feel like there's something fishy with the router, but some devices can handle it and some can't. The question is, which end gets fixed?


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

and how


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

can you log into the router and see what the version of firmware is 
the link works OK for me , from this forum


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

Can't log in...


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

why not - 
need to know a little more

like how you tried to log in
what error you got

you dont own the router and its in another building you do not have access to 
i

the reply 


> Can't log in...


does not explain why


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

Because when I go to the IP address on my browser it won't let me in. 

It's moot now. I finally got in touch with IT here at UCSC and they explained that there is a universal problem with the new modems that they have distributed. They will only connect three devices at a time and the router counts as one device. The laptop would be two and the PC number three. That's why literally nothing else will connect. The problem as I understood it was indeed that nothing could talk to the DHCP to get an IP, but it wasn't the router's or window's fault. The root of the problem was that the modem wouldn't let the router generate any more IP's. Hence the 169.254.xxx numbers I was getting.

Solved.
Thanks for all the input.


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## surrealkiller (Dec 10, 2011)

Im not sure how to give thanks to people. Usually there's a box to click somewhere...


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

no buttons or any reputation here - just a reply will do

glad its all working now


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