On Thu, 31 May 2012 21:12:30 +0000, txstoby1
wrote:


I bought a used Gateway computer with a newly installed compy of Windows
XP Home Edition. When trying to get online, it sees the network but it
will not connect. It says I have an invalid IP address. Please help

Does the Gateway computer use a wired or wireless connection? The
answer will generate a whole new set of questions.

What does your network and your Internet connection look like? Is
there a cable modem or DSL modem? Is there a router? If you use a
router, check its LAN IP addressing and compare it to the IP address
on the PC. Are they in the same subnet? Is the subnet mask correct? Is
the gateway IP correct?

The easiest thing to do might be to make sure the PC is set to use
DHCP (and then reboot it, assuming you have a DHCP-enabled network, of
course). If it has a static configuration, it may be configured to use
the network belonging to the previous owner. Switching to DHCP or
simply correcting a bad static config should get you connected.

To check things out and fix the problem, you'll be inspecting the IPv4
properties in the relevant network connectoid and you'll be running
"ipconfig /all" (no quotes) from a Command Prompt.