By: Daniel Petri

How can I disable the APIPA feature in Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003?

A Windows-based computer that is configured to use DHCP can automatically assign itself an Internet Protocol (IP) address if a DHCP server is not available. For example, this could occur on a network without a DHCP server, or on a network if a DHCP server is temporarily down for maintenance.

Read more about APIPA on the What's APIPA? page.

You may want to disable it in any of the following cases:

• Your network uses routers.

• Your network is connected to the Internet without a NAT or proxy server.

To disable automatic address configuration do the following:

Windows 2000/XP/2003

1. Open Registry Editor.

2. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\adapter_name

3. Create the following entry:

IPAutoconfigurationEnabled: REG_DWORD

4. Assign a value of 0 to disable Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) support for the selected network adapter.

5. Close Registry Editor.

Note: You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure.

If the IPAutoconfigurationEnabled entry is not present, a default value of 1 is assumed, which indicates that APIPA is used.

If multiple adapters are installed, you can disable APIPA for all installed adapters by setting the IPAutoconfigurationEnabled entry to 0 at the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters

Windows 98/ME

1. Open Registry Editor.

2. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\DHCP

3. Create the following entry:

IPAutoconfigurationEnabled: REG_DWORD

4. Assign a value of 0 to disable Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) support for the selected network adapter.

5. Close Registry Editor.

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