How to renew an IP Address in Windows 7 and Vista

If your computer is having problems and can't connect to the internet and you are seeing messages such as "Webpage not available", "Limited or No Connectivity" or "Network Cable Unplugged" you may need to renew your IP (Internet Protocol) address.
"Network Cable Unplugged" could simply mean that an Ethernet or USB cable actually has been unplugged, so if you see that message then the first thing to do is to check that all the relevant cables are securely plugged in both to your computer and modem.

If the cables are OK then you may need to renew your IP address. Sounds a bit daunting? Don't worry, it's very easy to do in Windows 7 and Vista if you follow the steps below.

Instructions

1. Open the "Start" menu, click "Control Panel", "Network and Internet" then "Network and Sharing Center." For Windows 7 users, click "Change Network Adapter Settings" and a Local Area Connection Manager dialog box will appear. For Windows Vista, click "Manage Network Connections" under the "Tasks" heading.


2. Right click on "Local Area Connection" and choose "Disable." Doing this will release the IP address. 


3. Switch off your modem, make sure all the lights on it are off then wait for about 20 seconds before switching it back on. Allow the modem to reset, wait for all the lights to come back on as usual.


4. Right click on the Local Area Connection icon and select "Enable." This should solve your problem and allow you to access the internet again.