Message from Windows

[tearinghair]

Just got back to my computer to find a message saying something along the lines of 'Windows has detected that another computer has the same IP address as this computer'. Is this possible? Or is it one of those inecplicable messages that go away if you ignpre them?

[VHG]

Has a new computer recently connected to the same router as your computert?

Or perhaps an OLD computer that you have not used for a while connected to your router?

Basically when a computer connects to a router it is given an ip address from a bank of "local" IP addresses in the format 192.168.0.1

The last digit is the important one as the first computer gets 1, the second computer gets 2 and so on.

Now if your computer connects and is given 192.168.0.1 then even when the computer is turned off the ip address 192.168.0.1 will be "held" for a while so it is reused next time you connect.

Now suppose you dont use that computer for a while and the 192.168.0.1 number is "released" and used by another computer in your house.

Then later you connect the old computer back on the router and THAT also tries to use 192.168.0.1 because it was that number before.

So you will get the conflict that two computers have the same ip address.

[tearinghair]

Nothing like that, VHG; I don't have a laptop and there are no other PCs in the house. The only thing I can think of is that this morning I connected the Blackberry to the computer to download an app. The download didn't work because I'd forgotten the password, and when I tried to reset it (the password) it refused to accept the CAPTCHA characters although I'm sure I got them right every time.

[tearinghair]

Thanks for your clear and patient explanation, btw.

[tearinghair]

Windows 7, methyl, and connected via USB cable. The message hasn't appeared again since.