Change IP Address
IP addresses are unique numerical – or alpha-numerical – addresses which are used for communication between devices like PC’s and laptops on local or wide area networks. An example of a local network would be inside your home, while a wide area network would be the worldwide web. Depending on your operating system, the method for changing your IP address may vary, so we will cover the steps needed to change your address on various Windows operating systems.
In your home network, your machines are usually running Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7; the steps for Windows XP will be basically the same for all different versions of XP, including HOME and PROFESSIONAL, while the steps for Vista and Windows 7 will be similar. If the computers on your network include older versions of Windows, then the steps used for Windows XP should still be applicable.
For Windows XP and older versions, you will first need to open your network connections. To do this click on START, then CONNECTIONS and click SHOW ALL CONNECTIONS.
Or you can click on START, then RIGHT-CLICK on MY NETWORK PLACES and go to properties. Another option is to click on START, then CONTROL PANEL, click on NETWORK AND INTERNET CONNECTIONS, and click on NETWORK CONNECTIONS.
For Windows Vista and above, click on START and type NETWORK in the search area which is available within the start menu. From there, click on NETWORK AND SHARING CENTER, and finally click on CHANGE ADAPTER SETTINGS.
Before proceeding, it is important to note that when changing an IP address you want to have a similar address on all the machines that are on the internal network connecting to your equipment. To ensure you safely change the address, it is advisable to only change the last digits of the IP address and leave all other numbers intact.
To find out what these numbers are, DOUBLE-CLICK on the desired connection and click on DETAILS in Vista and above; or click on the SUPPORT tab in XP and below. Once you are here, you should write down the numbers displayed, and only change the last digit (after the third dot) to a number between 1 and 254.
After writing the information down close all the windows, except for the network connections window. From here, on any operating system you RIGHT-CLICK on the network connection that you are changing the address for; which is usually the active connection – and the one which doesn’t have a red X on it – and then click on PROPERTIES.
On XP and below you should look for INTERNET PROTOCOL or TCP/IP in the list available, while on Vista and above you should look for IPv4. Once you locate the correct option in your respective version of Windows DOUBLE-CLICK on it. From here, you can change your address to whatever you desire by clicking on USE THE FOLLOWING IP ADDRESS and entering a new address. Make a note of the original settings here so you can reset them if necessary.