If you are having network connectivity problems and think its TCP/IP related and would like to uninstall and reinstall TCP/IP, you can’t. You will notice in the local area connection properties that the uninstall button is grayed out. In Windows XP, the TCP/IP stack is considered a core component of Windows and therefore not possible to uninstall.
You can however reinstall the internet protocol stack to the way it was when Windows was first installed using the Netshell utility.
Using this command with a certain switch will allow you to reset rewrite pertinent registry keys that are used by TCP/IP to achieve the same result as the removing and reinstalling the protocol. Use the following command to do so:
netsh int ip reset [logfile]
where logfile is a name you give to the file that records the actions performed by netsh. Here is an example of the command you can use.
netsh int ip reset iplog.txt
to create the iplog.txt log file in the current directory
OR
netsh int ip reset c:\iplog.txt
to create the iplog.txt log file on the C drive.
As always, be careful when using these kinds of commands to avoid permanent damage to your system and remember to backup your registry first.
Another method to reintsall TCP/IP is from the properties of your network connection.
- Click Start , and select Control Panel (or Settings then Control Panel).
- Click on Network Connections.
- Right click your network connection, and select Properties.
- Click the Install button.
- Select Protocol.
- Click the Add button.
- Click the Have Disk button.
- In the Copy Manufactuer's Files From text box, type c:\windows\inf
- Click Ok.
- Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
- Click Ok.
- Restart your computer.
Related Tips:
How to Renew and Release an IP Address in Windows 95/98/ME
How to Find Your IP Address
How to have both static and dynamic IPs settings at the same time
The Difference Between Static and Dynamic IP Addresses
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