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Troubleshooting Windows 10 "DHCP is not enabled"

By Stephen Bucaro

If you receive the message "DHCP is not enabled" when you attempt to connect to your local network or the Internet, you may solve the problem by resetting Winsock.

Without an IP address, a network device cannot connect to a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) network. DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) allows a server or router on your network to automatically assign IP addresses to network connected devices.

One possible reason your computer may not be able to connect to a DHCP server is because Winsock did not initialize correctly. Winsock (short for Windows socket) is an interface standard that allows communication between Windows and a TCP/IP network.

You can use the Command Prompt to reset Winsock, but before you try any direct repair procedure you should always try Windows built-in Network troubleshooter. To run the Network troubleshooter click on the Start button (window icon on left side of task bar at the bottom of screen), and in the Start menu select Settings (the gear shaped icon). In the Windows Settings window that appears, select Network & Internet.

In the left pane of the Network & Internet window, select Status (if not already selected). Under Change your network settings select Network troubleshooter. Follow the steps in the Network troubleshooter. If that does not fix your problem, try using the Command Prompt to reset Winsock. Here's the procedure:

1. In Windows Search box (on left side of task bar at the bottom of screen) type cmd.
2. Right click on the Command Prompt menu item and in the menu that appears, select Run as administrator.
3. In the Administrator Command Prompt window that appears, next to the command prompt, type netsh winsock reset as shown below.