Iâm using XP SP3. The LAN icon in the tray says âAcquiring network addressâ
continuously, even though Iâm connected to the network and the internet is just
fine. What causes this?
In this excerpt from
Answercast #12, I look at probable causes for inaccurate icon tray
notifications and explain what I do when that happens.
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What does this notice mean?
In short, I donât know.
What I do know )and can tell you) is that it does happen. Itâs not that
uncommon for the network icon (in the system tray) to show âAcquiring network
addressâ or actually show âNo connectivityâ (with the international No sign
through it) while there is, in fact, connectivity.
Perhaps a driver bug
My belief is (since itâs so inconsistent across the computers that Iâve
used and heard about) that it is actually a driver problem.
I know that some of the information thatâs provided for that pop-up menu,
for that icon, comes directly from the driver. Itâs possible that, since
drivers are being written by so many different vendors, and so many different
people, that thereâs simply a bug that is easy to make that causes that icon
status not to be updated properly.
In most cases, it works and itâs quite reliable. When it doesnât, I simply
learned that, OK, on this computer, I canât rely on that. In this situation
I canât rely on that. Iâll check for connectivity some other way.
As you said: Itâs working. So thereâs no real reason to be too
concerned.
It happens to me too (XP-SP3 also), but goes away when I do the following: double-click on the icon, select the âGeneralâ tab & select the âTCP-IP Propertiesâ setting (without changing anything, since itâs working OK anyway) and select âOKâ. VoilĂ ! Just curious â would updating the driver resolve the âmisinformationâ issue?
29-Apr-2012
To Dave Hunt:
Indeed, that âvoodooâ solution stopped the âacquiring network addressâ looping.
thanks for the SIMPLEST solution