Acquiring network address

[5CheeseLasagna]

For the past few weeks, I've been trying to solve a problem where if I unplug the wireless router (but the sole purpose of the router is to provide internet access for the laptop, not to this system) and then plug it back in, it gets stuck at "Acquiring network address."

I fixed it, and I found that all I had to do was enable the service "Network Location Awareness (NLA)".  I had it disabled, and I set it back to Manual which is the default setting.

You see, I followed the "Safe" guidelines on this page:  http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/Archive/servicecfg.htm  I figured it was safe to disable not because Black Viper said it was safe, but because of the description Microsoft gives for what this service is (and so I agreed that it was safe to disable).  So now I guess it's one of those "For some reason, leave this set to Manual if you have a router, otherwise Windows will get stuck at "Acquiring network address" if you unplug the router and plug it back in."

If you're wondering why I'm even unplugging it, it's because it is a 2.4GHz router, and my cordless phone is also 2.4GHz, so it interferes when I'm near the router.

[couttsj]

Actually, if you look at the latest BV list for SP3, you will find the recommended "Safe" setting for Network Location Awareness listed as manual. As BV says:

"SAFE" Configuration ~ This is the configuration that 95% of the people will be able to use with little or no side effects. It will also minimize the amount of "errors" that is reported in the Event Viewer. This does not guarantee it will work for you, but if adjusting your services scares you, this configuration would be a good starting point.

I went quite a bit further in shutting down services to find my own "Safe" settings for XP, but then I also qualified that by stating that it was good for networked desktop systems using fixed IP addressing behind a NAT router with no unusual devices. There is no single "cook book" recipe that will do the job. If you look at BV's "Safe" settings for Vista, you will find them not nearly as aggressive as the XP settings, because the experience base for Vista is not nearly as extensive as that for XP. It required a lot more trial & error to find my own "Safe" settings for Vista.

J.A. Coutts

[Black Viper]

Actually, if you look at the latest BV list for SP3, you will find the recommended "Safe" setting for Network Location Awareness listed as manual. As BV says:

Correct.
I changed the safe setting from Disabled to Manual due to several other services/programs (namely Real Player) needing it for some reason (even though I have not installed Real Player on any of my systems for years... thus the disabled recommendation for SP2).

If you look at BV's "Safe" settings for Vista, you will find them not nearly as aggressive as the XP settings, because the experience base for Vista is not nearly as extensive as that for XP.

Correct. One reason is due to Vista having a lot more services dependent on each other. Not needing one function does not mean you do not need the other three that it is tied to. As such, my "safe" has to be really safe. However, after I finish off XP SP3 settings, I am going back to Vista SP1 and knocking them down further.

Keep in mind that, for the most part, my "Safe" service settings for XP were originally drafted in 2001. So, needless to say, they have had several years of beatings to call them "really safe."
Vista is not that mature, yet.

[bugi74]

I would at least add the comment about disabled NLA possibly causing "stuck at Acquiring network address" symptom (even if the connection actually might still work) to the NLA service's infos.

Why? Because I've just spent like 3 hours hunting the web for this particular bit of information (and I have been doing such search long time ago for even more of hours). Blackviper's service lists is usually the first place I look for service infos and if this had been there, I'd have saved those hours...

I think I found and read through about 10 threads that have exactly this issue, (seems this is somewhat common "wtf is going on with my XP"-issue), and in only one case someone was able to give the idea of turning NLA on.

Finally tested the issue on my laptop.. and yeah, both its wireless and wired connection had this symptom (after reconnection gives stuck icon, yet connection works) 100% of time; after enabling NLA (and had to reboot the machine), 100% correct operation; after again disabling NLA, 100% stucks. So at least for my laptop & setup, the case is clear. (As a detail, if ignoring the icon problems, afaik, everything with connections works with NLA disabled, even both connections simultaneously with different networks (other in 10.0.etc., other in 192.168.etc.), so its just a cosmetic problem for my case).

(Luckyjim1968's post in may 1 seems to be very much related...)

[Black Viper]

I confirmed this issue on my laptop with XP SP3 that, yes, if NLA is stopped, the wireless connection (tested by having the card off, then turning it on) sticks at acquiring network address. Starting the service while stuck does not repair it. Turning off the card, then starting NLA, then turning the card back on it instantly connects.
I will update the page for SP2 (I normally do not redo old pages, but this definitely calls for it) and SP3 information.
I cannot test this in Vista, yet, as my laptop does not have Vista installed, but I will do so ASAP.
Thanks for the information! I am sure your efforts will help many people with the same issue.

BV Edit: Tested with the wired connection also. Confirmed same issue as the wireless connection.
BV Edit 2: I have to get Vista and Dreamweaver installed again on my desktop so I do not have to use notepad to update pages.

[bugi74]

Additional workaround notes for the cosmetic case (for those whose connections work with NLA disabled, but icons/states stay stuck at the "acquiring..."). It seems that simply opening the appropriate connection's properties window and pressing immediately "ok" button will update the icon to the proper state.

Another workaround, in case user has enough control over the connection (e.g. unplugging and plugging the wire); if the connection is cut off, and reconnected quickly enough afterwards (on my laptop ~5seconds disconnected time at most), the final state ends up correctly "connected". Go figure. It works the same way whether the icon was correct or incorrect during the previous connection.  This method worked with wireless connection, too, though doing a quick enough disconnect + reconnect can be a bit tricky since windows wants to re-search the available networks immediately after disconnect (that is, the built-in WZC thing; I do not use Intel's bloatware nightmare).

For those who absolutely do not want NLA running, and whose connection is not off/on too often, the manual "fix" might be a "solution". For some, simply ignoring the incorrect icon might be another "solution".

Detail: If NLA is on manual, but also manually stopped, it gets started automatically if one opens "Network connections" window and right-clicks on the/a connection, and soon after the icon/state gets updated.

[Adil Hafiz]

Hi I just thought Id post my experience incase I can help someone else in the same situation...

I seemed to have acquired the adware ?trogan.Vundo? and Norton IS 2007 was helpless in removing it. I set out trying to remove the files manually after even special ?Vundo removal? tools didn?t seem to work. I used Autoruns to remove dodgy looking files and I came across the Black Viper SP2 guide and started setting the ?Windows XP Pro? settings. I somehow managed to mess up my internet and I was stuck at the ?acquiring network address? stage.

I luckily found this Forum page, However I was NOT able to switch on ?Network Location Awareness (NLA)" amongst others.
I figured out the problem was related to my systems ?Winsock? and eventually managed to fix everything by following this very helpful Microsoft Support Page:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811259

 It involves deleting the corrupted Winsock Registry Keys, and letting them reinstall on restart. This fixed the problem, and when I switched on the Windows Firewall service everything was back to normal.

Hope this is helpful
Thank You
Adil

[Jax]

Question re: disabled NLA causing "stuck at Acquiring network address" symptom even if the connection actually still works.

Is it just the icon is being shown incorrectly or
are any system resources be used trying to acquire a fictional network address?

If you disable the Network Connections service, the nuisance icon will not be shown.  Will I lose anything other than not seeing the icon by disabling this service?  I don't need to see the icon to know I'm connected and if I make changes to the connection settings, the service can be restarted.

thanks.
jax