Windows Alert message: COnflict with my computer and some hardware.

When I came back from visiting a frond there was a warning on my lapt top screen that said this computer, giving the IP address had a conflict with some hardware and giving another IP address (I think it was --it started with 90. and a series of numbers like an IP adress.)

I had no idea what it was talking about. I click OK. My computer was functioning fine for about 20 minutes and then when I cam eot click on this site to post a query about this, my computer completely froze. Fortunately, my work in WOrd was automatically saved (I never use that wordprocessor so I didn't know if it had an auto back up turned on.)

I am connected to my DSL through a router. I've been having problems with my connection for a week or so, and I lost it completely for a couple of hours a few days ago, even after I switched and had the laptop connected directly through a different DSL modem through a different phone jack. I had lost it earlier today as well for a couple of hours.

When my computer froze, I noticed that the wireless PC card I have in my laptop was no longer on. I am assuming the hardaware conflict has to do somehow with the wireless connection.

When I shut down the computer and turned it on (I hit Ctrl-Alt-Del twice, which re-booted it), everything was fine again and has been for the last hour.

This is my old laptop, 5+ years old, IBM thinkpad with Win98SE. Increasingly things like this are happening. I am goign to get a new Asus z70va soon. But in the meantime, I have to make do with this laptop.

Anyone have any idea what it might be. I did not know where to post this question. The Hardware forum is load with "what do I buy" questions and it didn't seem like a saftware question. I suspect it is caused by either my PC wireless card, the router our the modem. So here is my query....

 

Do you have the same problems when your connected wired?
Try reinstalling the drivers/firmware
If so its a hardware conflict of some sort, its recommended that you do a reformat. That could even fix this problem. What router/pci card?

 

those sound like they may be unrelated problems. it's hard to diagnose without knowing the exact wording of the error you saw regarding the IP conflicts.

as far as the wifi connection dropping, there are several possible reasons.

if you lost cxn even switching to wired/different jack/etc., that sounds like the internet connection was down outside of you house and not a problem with your equipment.

hardware conflicts and IP addy conflicts are not necessarily related; how did you know that the computer wasn't recognizing the wifi card anymore? what told you that?

i would hold off on a reformat, that seems a little too extreme as of now.

 

There is a little light on the PC wireless card that comes on when I turn on the computer and it boots up. Of course my router is always gogin, so I don't know if the light meant the PC card is on or it is connecting to the internet. But the light was out on the PC card when I noticed it which was after the computer froze.

Sorry I did not wrtie down the error message.... I had not pen or paper (**** this computer age..I never have that old-fashioned stuff around any more ) and I was too tired ot find some. I was going to copy the message to notepad but the message wouldn't let me do anythign until I clicked OK.

Dumb...I know...but that is the way it is right now...I am running on empty because of a very draining several months both work and personal....But that shoul dall be over soon... Iplan to reformat my HD anyway then...

 

Yeah when those lights are on, that means the card is active, (on), when the computer freezes, it turns off, thus the restart. Yea, try rebooting, i think that will fix this problem.

 

Justitia,

An IP conflict may happen with a router setup if you have statically set an IP address on one of your computers and the router dished out the same IP to another computer connect to the router.

Best thing to do with this type of problem is to statically set your IP outside of your routers DHCP IP Pool.

Example:
Routers DHCP IP Range: 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.254
Statically set your computers to anything under 192.168.1.100 or whatever value the lowest is set at. This way your static IP will not be in the range of IP's that are usable by other computers.

-Vb-