A location with all stations with fixed IPs and the router (nor anything else) gives DHCP addresses. New Win7 laptop. Did what I've done with other XP laptops and set the Alternate Configuration to be an IP, mask, gateway, and dns compatible with the location. That way the user can get DHCP at home or wifi spots, but in the office after it times out waiting for DHCP it goes to the Alternate Config. And it did, except the dns settings I provided didn't take. They are the right ones for the ISP. If I set the main TCP settings to a fixed address and those same dns settings it takes and works. But as an alternate config, if I do ipconfig /all it shows the dns settings as something like a hex mac address or something, like fffe:ff:ff:ff etc. The user was in a crunch to connect for a meeting so I didn' t get to write it down. Another XP system takes this alternate config scheme just fine. Anybody know what this is about? Thanks.

Hi Njem, Please access Clean Boot to check the issue. If the issue disappears in the Clean Boot environment, you can continue to narrow down which entry is causing the issue. If the issue persists, could you please provide the System Information for further research? 1. Press Start, type in msinfo32 in the Start Search bar and then press Enter. 2. Choose Save from the File menu and save it as an NFO file. 3. Find the file, right-click on this file, click "Send To", and click "Compressed (zipped) Folder". +++ For your convenience, I have created a workspace for you. You can upload the information files to the following link. (Please choose "Send Files to Microsoft") Workspace URL: (https://sftasia.one.microsoft.com/choosetransfer.aspx?key=e78eae09-b519-4ce6-afb9-3960fb47f671) Password: LjH!k^D)Ia Note: Due to differences in text formatting with various email clients, the workspace link above may appear to be broken. Please be sure to include all text between '(' and ')' when typing or copying the workspace link into your browser. Meanwhile, please note that files uploaded for more than 72 hours will be deleted automatically. Please ensure to notify me timely after you have uploaded the files. Thank you for your understanding. Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.