If your IP address expires, you will most likely experience interruptions when browsing the web. In such cases, you have to release and renew the IP address by executing the following commands:
- ipconfig /release
- ipconfig /renew
So if you are trying to renew the IP address of your Windows 10 computer using the commands given above but you encounter an error message instead that says, “Unable to contact your DHCP Server”, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you in fixing this error.
This kind of error indicates that the NIC can’t communicate with the DHCP server which is why it’s not able to release new IP addresses. It could be due to many reasons. To fix this error, you can try to roll back, update or reinstall the Network Adapter drivers. You could also run the built-in Network Adapter troubleshooter, as well as start or restart the DHCP client service.
Option 1 – Try to rollback your Network driver
If you have updated the driver software as of late and you suddenly got this error, you might have to roll back the device driver – in other words, switch back to the previous working version. To do that, follow these steps:
- Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “devmgmt.msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
- Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand it.
- Next, select the driver entries that are labeled appropriately other than anything in the context of the WAN Miniport.
- Then select each one of them and double click to open a new mini window.
- After that, make sure that you’re on the Driver tab and if you are not, just navigate to it then click the Roll Back Driver button to switch back to the previous version of your Network adapters.
- Now restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.
Option 2 – Try to update the Network drivers
If rolling back to the previous version of the Network adapter drivers didn’t help, then you need to update them instead. To do so, here’s what you have to do:
- Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “devmgmt.msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
- Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand them.
- Then right-click on each one of the Network drivers and update them all.
- Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the BSOD error.
Note: If updating the network drivers didn’t help in fixing the problem, you can also try to uninstall the very same drivers and restart your Windows 10 PC. After that, the system itself will reinstall the drivers you just uninstalled. Alternatively, you can also download and install the drivers from the manufacturer’s website directly.
Option 3 – Run the Network Adapter troubleshooter
Running the built-in Network Adapter troubleshooter can also help in fixing the “Unable to contact your DHCP Server” error. To run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter, refer to these steps:
- Open the Search bar on your computer and type in “troubleshoot” to open the Troubleshoot settings.
- Next, scroll down and select the “Network Adapter” option from the right pane.
- Then click on the Run Troubleshooter” button.
- After that, your computer will check for any possible errors and will pinpoint the root cause of the problem if possible.
- Restart your computer.
Option 4 – Try disabling the IPv6 in the Network Center
- Tap the Win + X key combination and click on Network Connections.
- This will open the Settings app on a specific page. Now on the right-side panel, click on the Network and Sharing Center link.
- After that, it will open the Control Panel and from there, click on the network that your computer is connected to and then click on Properties.
- Next, uncheck the entry that says, “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” in the list that populates.
- Now click on OK and close all other windows.
- Restart your computer and see if the error is now fixed.
Option 5 – Start or restart the DHCP client service
If the DHCP client service is either inactive or stopped, you can try to start or restart it to resolve the error. You can do this via the Services Manager.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility.
- Then type “services.msc” in the field and tap Enter or click OK to open the Services Manager.
- After that, look for the DHCP client service from the list of services displayed.
- Once you found it, right-click on it and select the Start or Restart option.