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How do I correct an errant IP address?

How do I correct an errant IP address. We're trying to wirelessly connect two computers, one a laptop, the other a desktop. We are using USB network adapters and router. They appear connected but there is no transmission between them. The error message says limited or no resources available as well as that the IP address is improper. Are the IP addresses supposed to match?

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First, no the IP addresses on both computers should not match. The IP address is the postal code equivalent for networked devices. The address identifies which device the network should send traffic to. With that being said, the IP addresses for the two machines should be in the same subnet, a way to group IP addresses together by using a subnet mask.

It depends on the wireless router you have, but refer to the documentation on how to enable DHCP on the wireless router. This way, the assignment of IP addresses should be handled by the router when the desktop or laptop machines connect to it. Otherwise you will have to statically assign private IP addresses to the wireless cards on each box, 192.168.0.10 and 192.168.0.11 for example.

Also if you have Windows Service Pack 2 installed, you might be receiving the error erroneously. There is a patch available here that might remedy some problems.

If this is also being configured in shared living/working domains like apartment buildings, obtaining a decent signal from the router may be a problem due to too many signal conflicts. When you view the available wireless networks on the machine, there should only be a list of your wireless connection to ensure that conflicts aren't occurring.

This was first published in March 2005

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