I just recently purchased the RCA DCM425 cable modem for my comcast
high speed internet. I have tried alternate ethernet cards,
reinstalling the drivers for the card, repairing the connection, all
cables are connected good, the modem is fine, no firewall software is
rinning, etc......I just get "acquiring network address" when I check
its status. Customer service is no help and I've ran out of options.
My operating system is Windows XP.

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Request for Question Clarification by hummer-ga on 10 Jan 2005 07:18 PST

Hi mssea2005,

Please try this and let me know how it goes.

When you are getting the Acquiring IP Address message, double-click on
the icon in the systray.

Click Properties / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

Select "Use the following IP address"

Type 192.168.0.1 and press Enter.

It should now complete the subnet mask as 255.255.255.0.

Click OK.

Click "No" if it asks you about allocating to a different LAN adaptor.

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Now go to your other PC and make these settings:

IP Address: 192.168.0.2
Gateway: 192.168.0.1

Hope that helps!
hummer

The timing on this seems like it *might* just be a Comcast issue, especially
if you happen to live in the Northwest portion of the U.S.A.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002145441_comcast08m.html

Massive network upgrade, during which time it is recommended that you not reset
your cable-modem. The DHCP servers (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
that 'lease' an internet address to your computer may likely be unavailable until
the upgrade completes.

I think I had your same problem, it might be a winsock corruption.

1. Delete these reg keys:
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2 
2. Double-click your Network Connection.
3. Install   >   Protocols   >   Add   >  Have Disk
4. C:\WINDOWS\Inf      // the path
5. Select TCP/IP   >   reboot

Good Luck!

I believe even when the modem is not connected to comcast it should
still act as a DHCP for you and give you a 192.168.1.x ip.  This would
make sense so you can get into it's bios to change its settings.  I
have run into this problem where computers cannot get an ip address
even when connected to a dhcp server, router, or in your case a cable
modem, and it is like efortis suggested, usually a winsock corruption.
 There is a very easy fix for winsock corruption since you have
windows xp.  Simply download winsock xp fix, a free ware utility which
automatically corrects errors in your winsock settings.  I have it
available on my website here
http://www.3scarparts.com/ats/WinsockxpFix.exe

I hope this fixes your problem if not i have a few other ideas for ya to try.

Aaron

Have you ensured that Comcast has updated your service to reflect the
MAC address of the new modem?  If they aren't assigning an IP to the
modem itself, there's no way you'll get one for your PC.

Which customer service did you call? Comcast or the cable modem
manufacturer?  If it was Comcast, did you tell them it was a new
modem?

If you are connecting your computer directly to the cable modem,
don't.  Go get a D-Link router from your local OfficeMax/Staples/Best
Buy/Office supply store.  The router will act as a hardware firewall
to your network.  If you are trying to connect to a wireless network
and live in an apartment, your neighbors might have wireless networks
as well (which will be VERY difficult to work around if they are
secured).  I have never had issues with wired connectivity to any
D-Link router.  Also, if anything, I have noticed a slight improvement
in download speeds because hackers couldn't see the computer any more
(they were seeing an impenetrable firewall instead).  A router also
allows you to create a network of PCs without paying for extra IP
addresses (Comcast will try to sell you a second IP for each
additional PC).

Once you get set up with a router (can connect in to the router
configuration, but not webpages - e.g. Google.com), you are ready to
plug the router into the cable modem.  The cable modem should issue a
DHCP address to the router and your computer should work fine with the
router already.

If the router fails to obtain an IP address, you can verify that via
the logs in the D-Link web-based "control panel" AND the WAN IP
information.  Armed with this information, you are ready to make the
call to Comcast support.

Their cable support is abysmal.  Don't follow that route on the phone.
 Instead, try to find a "fuzzy" channel on your regular TV - if all of
them are fuzzy, then you have a signal problem and the cable modem
should be indicating it by only having the send light turning on. 
Call Comcast, but complain only about the fuzzy TV stuff (literally
say "fuzzy stuff", let them figure out you mean "snow").  They'll have
someone out the next day to work on that (instead of the 3 day delay
for cable modem users) - only THEN should you mention something to the
guy that arrives that the cable modem is having problems too.  Comcast
treats their cable modem customers like idiots and give special
treatment to television customers.  The only way to respond to all of
this is to pretend to be an idiot to outsmart them, which makes the
person acting like an idiot a paradox of sorts.