The Windows 10 operating system is the latest version of Windows which was first released in 2015. It was made as a free upgrade to people who were running Windows 7 or Windows 8 on their computers. Although this is a solid performing operating system there are instances when certain issues can occur which we will be troubleshooting today. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the windows 10 unable to contact your DHCP server error.
How To Fix Windows 10 Unable To Contact Your DHCP Server Error
Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your computer first. This action refreshes the operating system and remove any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the problem.
There are several factors that can cause this particular problem ranging from a corrupted network driver to a service that is not running. Listed below are the troubleshooting steps you need to do to fix this problem.
Update the network drivers
One of the main reasons why this problem will occur is because of an issue with the network drivers. This is why the first thing you should do in this case is to update the network drivers. Make sure to download the latest network driver from the manufacturer webpage before performing the steps listed below.
- Type “Device Manager” into the search field next to the Start menu button to open the device manager window.
- Expand the “Network Adapters” section. This will display all network adapters that the machine has installed at the moment.
- Right click on the network adapter you want to uninstall and select “Uninstall device”. This will remove the adapter from the list and uninstall the networking device.
- Click “OK” when prompted to uninstall the device.
- Follow the instructions on-screen in order to install the driver you downloaded. If the adapter is external such as a Wi-Fi dongle, make sure it stays disconnected until the wizard prompts you to reconnect it to your computer.
- Restart the computer
Check if the Windows 10 unable to contact your DHCP server error still occurs.
Rollback the network driver
There are instances when the latest network driver will have bugs present which can cause this issue which is why you will need to rollback this driver to the default Windows provided driver.
- Right click on the network adapter you want to uninstall and select Properties.
- Go to the Driver tab and locate the Roll Back Driver option.
- If the option is grayed out, it means that the device wasn’t updated recently as it has no backup files remembering the old driver. This also means that the recent driver update is probably not the cause of your problem.
- If the option is available to click on, do so and follow the instructions on-screen to proceed with the process.
- Restart the computer.
Check if the Windows 10 unable to contact your DHCP server error still occurs.
Disable the VirtualBox Related Driver
If you are running a virtual operating system on your computer with its own drivers installed then it can also cause this particular problem. You should try to disable VirtualBox to check if this is what’s causing the problem.
- Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows logo key + R key together then type “ncpa.cpl” in it and click OK.
- Click on the Network and Sharing center section in order to open it and locate the Change adapter settings option at the left side of the window and click on it.
- Double-click on your active Network Adapter.
- Click Properties and locate the VirtualBox Bridged Networking Driver entry on the list. Disable the check box next to this entry and click OK.
- Restart your computer.
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Manually register the DNS names and IP address configured in the computer
- On the search bar type in “cmd” or “Command Prompt”. Right-click on the first result and choose the Run as administrator option.
- Type ipconfig /registerdns then press enter.
- Click the close button or type in “exit” in Command Prompt
- Restart your computer
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Disable IPv6
If you have IPv6 enabled in your computer then it can cause this problem. Try to disable it to check if this is what’s causing the problem.
- Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows logo key + R key together. Then type “ncpa.cpl” in it and click OK.
- When the Internet Connection window opens, double-click on your Active Network Adapter.
- Click Properties and locate the Internet Protocol Version 6 entry on the list.
- Disable the check box next to this entry and click OK.
- Restart your computer.
Check if the Windows 10 unable to contact your DHCP server error still occurs.
Restart the DHCP client service
If the DHCP client service of the computer has stopped running then you will need to start it.
- Open the Run dialog box by using the Windows Key + R key combination on your keyboard. Type “services.msc” in the box and click OK in order to open Services.
- Locate DHCP Client Service in the services list, right-click on it and select Properties.
- If the service is started (you can check that just next to the Service status message), you should stop it immediately by clicking the Stop button in the middle of the window. If it is stopped, leave it as it is.
- Make sure that the option under the Startup type menu in the DHCP Client Service’s properties is set to Automatic before you proceed with the instructions. Confirm any dialogue boxes which may appear when you set the startup type. Click on the Start button at the middle of the window before exiting.
Check if the Windows 10 unable to contact your DHCP server error still occurs.
Temporarily Turn off the antivirus
If the above steps fails to fix the problem then this might already be caused by your antivirus software. To check if this is the culprit, you should turn off your antivirus If the problem does not occur when it is off then you should consider using a different antivirus software.
Avast
- Right-click on the avast! icon in the system tray. Select avast! shields control and there will be options to disable avast for 10 minutes, 1 hour, until the computer is restarted or permanently.
Bitdefender
- Double click on the System icon for Bit Defender.
- When the Bit Defender window appears, move the mouse arrow to the left side and click >> Virus Shield.
- Move mouse arrow to the black check by Virus Shield is enabled and click.
- The black works will change to red, >> Virus Shield is disabled.
- Move mouse arrow to the top right corner and click the down arrows.
- Bit Defender is now inactive.
- To enable Bit Defender, do the same steps except click to enable.
Microsoft Security Essentials
- Right-click on the MSE icon in the system tray and choose Open.
- Click the Settings tab, then click Real Time Protection.
- Uncheck the box next to “Turn on real time protection”.
- Click the “Save changes” button.
- Exit MSE when done.
ESET
- Double click on the system tray icon to open the main application window.
- Or via Start >> All Programs >> ESET >> ESET Smart Security.
- Click Setup >> Antivirus and antispyware >> Temporarily disable Antivirus and antispyware protection.
- When prompted to confirm temporarily disable select Yes.
- Note: Protection will be automatically started after a system reboot.
McAfee
- Navigate to the system tray on the bottom right hand corner and look for the McAfee icon.
- Right-click it -> chose “Exit.“
- A popup will warn that protection will now be disabled. Click on “Yes” to disable the Antivirus guard.
Check if the Windows 10 unable to contact your DHCP server error still occurs.