Q. When you run IPCONFIG /RENEW on Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, you receive 'The current directory is invalid'?

If the root directory of an Active Directory user account, who is also a member of the local Administrators group, is mapped to a network share, so that when they open a CMD.EXE window, the mapped drive letter is the current directory, running IPCONFIG /RELEASE followed by IPCONFIG /RENEW results in an error like:

The current directory is invalid.

This behavior occurs because there is no longer a valid network connection after the IPCONFIG /RELEASE is run, so the current directory which is mapped to a network share no longer exists.

To workaround this behavior, change the current directory to a local drive, like C:, and then run:

IPCONFIG /RELEASE
IPCONFIG /RENEW

NOTE: See Logon scripts issue 'The current directory is invalid' error?