Windows XP: DHCP Networking Troubles

DHCP Networking Troubles

I currently have two porblems, one more pressing than the other. I will start with
the less pressing problem, which actually led to the immediate problem.

I recently graduated college and moved back home with my parents (horay!!!, just
kidding). Anyway, when i moved hom my fater was running a single PC (XP Home) directoy
from a cable modem. SO i pormptly went out and bouth a wireless router so i could
connect a few of the PCs i brought home with me (I was an engineering student).
I purchased a D-Link 524 wireless routher which worked well for about 6 weeks. All
of a sudden, the signal would stop. By this i mean the activity light on the modem
would no longer be lit and the routher would no londer be recieveing or producing
a signal. I would power everything down, then back up again and it would work for
a few hours before the problem would recur. Eventually i was fed up enough and went
back to my trusty Linksys 5 port switch i used for my college apt (not wireless).
This is where the immediate problem comes in.

Apparently, my faters computer is now stuck on and Automatic Private Address (APIPA
???) and will not revieve and process the dynamic address. I am not sure how to
set it to automatically obtain the new address from the Linksys switch. I tried
repairing the connection, releasing the current IP and Subnet info and editing the
registry to the following.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\IPAutoconfigurationEnabled
to 0

My dad is not the most understanding guy when it comes to computers and his attidue
is that "it worked just fine before i came home" so if i cant fix it soon he is going
to throw away the routher/switch while i am out and just hook his PC back up to the
modem, leaving the rest of the computers without internet connections.

If anyone could help address the issue of resolving why i cannot get his PC to accept
a dynamic IP, it would be greatly appriciated. Also, if anyone knows what might
have happened to my D-Link routher, i would also appriciate some insight before i
go out and buy a new Linksys wireless routher.

Thanks a lot,
Mike.