self assigening IP address

Hello everyone, I've got a problem I'm really hoping someone here will be able to help me remedy. I've got a macbook running os x 10.5.6. Lately when I try to get on the internet at starbucks I get an error message "airport has a self assigining IP address and my not be able to connect to the internet". This started a few days ago. It wouldn't be a big deal but I'm stationed in Kuwait and this is the only internet we have here. I've done some pretty extensive reseach on the internet from a friends computer and have tried I think just about everything. Is there anyone out there that can provide some new solutions for me to try or maybe explain why this is happening? Any help would be greatly apprecieated!

Thanks for you help but your answer is not what I'm looking for

Typically, a self-assigned private IP address is issued by the operating system when it either can't contact a DHCP server or the DHCP server fails to issue an IP. This can happen for any number of reasons, most often related to the configuration of the network you're connecting to and not necessarily the client itself.

On wireless networks, it's often related to an encryption issue on secure wireless networks (i.e. the password is incorrect or the client is using the wrong type of encryption). The best thing you can do in this case is try deleting the connection from System Preferences => Network => Airport => Advanced => AirPort tab => Delete the network you're having trouble and then reconnect.

Another common problem on public wireless access points is that the DHCP server runs out of addresses to hand-out (this is especially common in very busy places that may see 250+ users in a short time period). In that case, the admin of the WAP needs to change their DHCP lease settings to allow the lease to expire in a shorter time frame, or expand the address pool.

cwa107 said:

Another common problem on public wireless access points is that the DHCP server runs out of addresses to hand-out (this is especially common in very busy places that may see 250+ users in a short time period). In that case, the admin of the WAP needs to change their DHCP lease settings to allow the lease to expire in a shorter time frame, or expand the address pool.

Click to expand...

Based on where the OP is located, this is probably the cause.