Topic: Losing static IP address in Windows 7 after sleep

[jlykos]

I am having problems retaining a static IP address when my computer has the screen off.  I have everything set up correctly and when my computer is "active," I can retain a static IP address.  The problem is after an hour when my screen turns off, I lose the static IP address when I use the computer again.  This would not be a huge problem but when I am seeding shows, it really slows everything down and turns a one day event into a one week event.  Does anybody have any assistance on this?

I am running Windows 7 Professional on a 64-bit Lenovo T400 and am using Utorrent with a Linksys WRT-160v2 router.  I just tried to change the power settings to "maximum performance" on the wireless connection from "regular power savings" but I have no idea if this will do the trick or not.

Can anybody provide any assistance?

[sparkey]

Try updating your NIC driver.....

No hits in google?

[rastasean]

you're getting a static IP from your ISP?

[nic]

you're getting a static IP from your ISP?

I would say he's getting the static from his router...

[sparkey]

If an IP address isn't assigned to the NIC directly, it is dynamic.  Open a command prompt and run ipconfig /all and plug your desired IP address into your network card, and use the DNS and gateways settings from the ipconfig command.

you're getting a static IP from your ISP?

I would say he's getting the static from his router...

[jlykos]

I think that I may have come up with a solution.  I went into the power settings and switched the wireless adapter to "maximum performance" when it is plugged in.  Just returned after class and my connection was still active, suggesting that what I did worked.  I'm going to leave it seeding overnight and see if it is still active when I wake up.

Thanks for the responses so far.

[sparkey]

But are you assigning it an IP?  Eventually that IP will release and renew.

I think that I may have come up with a solution.  I went into the power settings and switched the wireless adapter to "maximum performance" when it is plugged in.  Just returned after class and my connection was still active, suggesting that what I did worked.  I'm going to leave it seeding overnight and see if it is still active when I wake up.

Thanks for the responses so far.

[jlykos]

But are you assigning it an IP?  Eventually that IP will release and renew.

I think that I may have come up with a solution.  I went into the power settings and switched the wireless adapter to "maximum performance" when it is plugged in.  Just returned after class and my connection was still active, suggesting that what I did worked.  I'm going to leave it seeding overnight and see if it is still active when I wake up.

Thanks for the responses so far.

Yes, now this is driving me insane.  I finally got the static IP address to stick after the screen turned off.  The problem is that Windows just updated so I had to restart my computer.  Now I can't get a static IP address at all (it just keeps resetting whenever I plug in the address) nor can I even contact my router on the 192.168.1.1 default.  I am at my breaking point about this.

Can anybody please explain to me in very clear and simple language what I can do to get a static IP address that will remain active?  I have tried the Microsoft forums, Google searches, you name it.  I can't figure out much of what they are writing.  I am virtually positive that I am doing the right thing because I could do this in XP and I never had any problems.  I also checked out the guides on Portforward.com and that worked yesterday but it doesn't work at all after the recent Windows update.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Maybe you'll get lucky and it will awake to Linux.

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

If your router supports UPnP I would suggest setting that up in uTorrent (and your router).

There is some info on this page (scroll down).

http://www.utorrent.com/documentation/connection-setup

I'm sure a google search will turn up more info if you need it.

[sparkey]

Insano, did you update your driver?

But are you assigning it an IP?  Eventually that IP will release and renew.

I think that I may have come up with a solution.  I went into the power settings and switched the wireless adapter to "maximum performance" when it is plugged in.  Just returned after class and my connection was still active, suggesting that what I did worked.  I'm going to leave it seeding overnight and see if it is still active when I wake up.

Thanks for the responses so far.

Yes, now this is driving me insane.  I finally got the static IP address to stick after the screen turned off.  The problem is that Windows just updated so I had to restart my computer.  Now I can't get a static IP address at all (it just keeps resetting whenever I plug in the address) nor can I even contact my router on the 192.168.1.1 default.  I am at my breaking point about this.

Can anybody please explain to me in very clear and simple language what I can do to get a static IP address that will remain active?  I have tried the Microsoft forums, Google searches, you name it.  I can't figure out much of what they are writing.  I am virtually positive that I am doing the right thing because I could do this in XP and I never had any problems.  I also checked out the guides on Portforward.com and that worked yesterday but it doesn't work at all after the recent Windows update.

[jlykos]

Insano, did you update your driver?

Yes, everything is updated.  I am now able to contact the router without a problem but still cannot get a static IP to stick at all.  I fill in the information, close out of the windows, the computer reconnects, and when I go back to check the IP, everything has reverted to the automatic configuration.

I posted a question on the MS Windows 7 forums last night so hopefully somebody over there has an answer to this.  It is driving me crazy and makes it very difficult to seed any shows at all.

[sparkey]

What is the model number of the NIC?

Insano, did you update your driver?

Yes, everything is updated.  I am now able to contact the router without a problem but still cannot get a static IP to stick at all.  I fill in the information, close out of the windows, the computer reconnects, and when I go back to check the IP, everything has reverted to the automatic configuration.

I posted a question on the MS Windows 7 forums last night so hopefully somebody over there has an answer to this.  It is driving me crazy and makes it very difficult to seed any shows at all.

[nic]

have to ask the obvious: why not let the router assign the IP?
your torrents will still work just fine...

[phanophish]

This is almost certainly not a NIC or Windows 7 problem.  I'm guessing your network at home is set up with the typical Cable/DSL Modem > NAT Router>Client devices like 99% of home users.

What is happening is your router is assigning a new DHCP lease each time your PC NIC powers off.  There are 2 options to keep a consistent IP on the client PC.

1 - Truly statically assign the IP address on the client PC, This will require you going in to the network config on the PC and configuring the settings to an available IP on your home network something like this..



2- Create a DHCP reservation on your router for the client PC.  This varies a bit with the type of router you have but a google search for "Linksys (Insert your router manufacturer here) DHCP reservation"  should yield decent results. Essentially you provide the router the MAC address of your PC and it will be sure to always assign the same IP address to you PC.  It will look something like this...



Either of these solutions will get you a consistent IP address.  Like Mike says, if the goal if Torrent port forwarding, enabling UPnP on your router will have the same effect without the need for static IPs or DHCP reservations.  What is the goal?

[jlykos]

Hey, thanks for the responses.  I think that the second idea that you mentioned: creating a DCHP reservation in the router did the job.  I hope that it will manage this over the next few days.  The first suggestion was the thing that absolutely refused to work.

All I wanted to do was to use Utorrent correctly and the UPnP thing did not work either.  I tried to activate it in the router and I could not connect to any internet pages then.

Thanks again for everything!  Hopefully this will do the job.

[crazifyngers]

jlykos,
If you have not resolved the problem are you using access connections?  This program will take over your network configuration and not allow your network setup to "stick."  As far as the ip address changing it is true that ip addresses will release and renew if you do not have a reservation but computers request that their leases be renewed hours before their lease expires.  this causes the lease to be renewed before the lease expires so you will have the same ip address.  but when you wake up you computer needs to get a new ip address this tell me that your computer is probably asleep.  make sure that is turned off when plugged in.

[if_then_else]

Hey, thanks for the responses.  I think that the second idea that you mentioned: creating a DCHP reservation in the router did the job.  I hope that it will manage this over the next few days.  The first suggestion was the thing that absolutely refused to work.

All I wanted to do was to use Utorrent correctly and the UPnP thing did not work either.  I tried to activate it in the router and I could not connect to any internet pages then.

Thanks again for everything!  Hopefully this will do the job.

I don't know if someone else has suggested this before, but did you already think about using dynamic DNS?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DynDNS

There are providers that will operate a basic service for free (e.g. http://www.dyndns.com/).

[phanophish]

Hey, thanks for the responses.  I think that the second idea that you mentioned: creating a DCHP reservation in the router did the job.  I hope that it will manage this over the next few days.  The first suggestion was the thing that absolutely refused to work.

All I wanted to do was to use Utorrent correctly and the UPnP thing did not work either.  I tried to activate it in the router and I could not connect to any internet pages then.

Thanks again for everything!  Hopefully this will do the job.

I don't know if someone else has suggested this before, but did you already think about using dynamic DNS?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DynDNS

There are providers that will operate a basic service for free (e.g. http://www.dyndns.com/).

The issue was not with the external IP of his router, it was with the internal IP that his client Pc was getting on the private side of his NAT router.  In order to forward the Bittorrent ports for best torrent performance he needed a consistent IP address for the Pc that would be running the torrent client.