Hi D- lovejoy,
Welcome to Microsoft Answers Forums.
• When was the last time it was working?
• Do you have any security software installed on the computer?
First I would suggest that you check if you can start the dependency service for DHCP client service.
To view the dependency services registered for DHCP Client Service, try the following steps
• Click on Start and them type cmd and press Enter
• In the command prompt type: CMD /K SC QC DHCP
• Press Enter check if the dependency service is started.
Verify that the Dependency Service / components are running
To verify that the three dependency components are running. Follow the steps below:
• Click Start, Run and type DEVMGMT.MSC
• In the View menu, click Show hidden devices
• Double-click Non-Plug and Play drivers section
• Double-click the entry AFD, and click the Driver tab
• Set the Startup type to System.
• Start the service. Note down the error message if any.
• Similarly start the two other drivers namely:
• TCP/IP Protocol Driver
• NetBios over Tcpip
• Close Device Manager and restart Windows.
• Now check if you can start the DHCP service.
If the above steps fail I would suggest that you perform a System Restore on the computer to restore back the previous settings.
To restore the operating system to an earlier point in time, follow these steps
1. Click Start, type system restore in the
Start Search box, and then click System
Restore in the Programs list.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click
Continue.
2. In the System Restore dialog box, click Choose a different restore point, and then click
Next.
3. In the list of restore points, click a restore point that was created before you began to experience the issue, and then click
Next.
4. Click Finish.
You may visit the following KB Article link for reference:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936212
If the above step does not fix the issue then I would suggest that you
try SFC scan on the computer which would scan for corrupt system files
on the computer and replace them.
Steps to perform SFC scan
1. Click the Start button
2. From the Start Menu, Click All programs followed by Accessories
3. In the Accessories menu, Right Click on the Command
Prompt option
4. From the drop down menu that appears, Click on the 'Run as administrator' option
5. If you have the User Account Control (UAC) enabled you will be asked
for authorization prior to the command prompt opening. You may simply
need to press the Continue button if you are the administrator or insert
the administrator password etc.
6. In the Command Prompt window, type: sfc /scannow and then press Enter
7. A message will appear stating that 'the system scan will begin'
8. Be patient because the scan may take some time
9. If any files require replacing SFC will replace them. You may be asked to insert your Vista DVD for this process to continue
10. If everything is okay you should, after the scan, see the following
message "Windows resource protection did not find any integrity
violations"
11. After the scan has completed, Close the command prompt window restart the computer and check.
The scan may take some time, so be patient. Windows will repair any
corrupted or missing files that it finds. If information from the
installation CD is needed to repair the problem, you may be prompted to
insert your Windows Vista.
For more information refer the below link.
How to use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files on Windows Vista or on Windows 7
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833
Halima S - Microsoft Support.
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