RPC_NT_UUID_NO_ADDRESS (0XC0020028) - No network address available

1. The network adapter is in a bad state (most common fix)

I've seen this error hit hardest on Windows 10 and 11 machines after a sleep/wake cycle or a VPN disconnect. The NIC—usually a Realtek PCIe GbE controller or an Intel I219-V—gets stuck in a half-dead state. The RPC service can't bind to any IP address, so it throws 0XC0020028. You might also notice you can't ping localhost or get an IP from DHCP.

Skip the deep troubleshooting for a second. Just reset the adapter. Open a command prompt as Administrator (hit Win+X, select Terminal (Admin)). Then run:

netsh interface ip set dns

Wait, that's not quite right. The real reset commands are these two, back-to-back:

netsh int ip reset
netsh winsock reset

Both of these flush the TCP/IP stack and the Winsock catalog. You'll need to reboot after. If the error was caused by a corrupted TCP/IP setting or a stuck Winsock entry, this clears it. I've seen this fix about 60% of the cases in my help desk years.

After reboot, check if you're getting an IP address again with ipconfig /all. If you see an APIPA address (169.254.x.x), the adapter's still broken—move on to cause #2.

2. The NIC driver is missing or corrupt

Second most common scenario: the driver for your network adapter got yanked during a Windows update or a system restore. Windows 11 in particular has a nasty habit of replacing manufacturer drivers with generic ones. The generic driver might not support the RPC UUID generation properly.

Open Device Manager (right-click Start > Device Manager). Expand Network adapters. Look for your physical Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter—shouldn't be a greyed-out icon or one with a yellow triangle. If it has a bang, right-click it and choose Uninstall device. Check the box that says Delete the driver software for this device, then hit OK.

Reboot the machine. Windows will automatically reinstall the default driver. If that doesn't happen, download the exact driver from your motherboard or laptop manufacturer's site. For example, on a Dell Latitude 5420, go to Dell's support page, enter your service tag, and grab the Realtek LAN driver version 10.062.0406.2022 or newer. No generic Realtek site drivers—stick with the OEM.

Once reinstalled, restart and test. The error should be gone if the driver was the culprit. I'd say this accounts for about 25% of the fixes.

3. IPv6 is disabled but still needed by Windows components

This one trips up more people than you'd think. Some overzealous optimization guides tell you to disable IPv6 completely to speed up DNS lookups. That's fine for web browsing, but Windows RPC, DirectAccess, and some group policy features rely on IPv6 for internal communication. When you disable IPv6 via the registry key DisableIPv6 = 0xFF in HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters, Windows can't create a UUID on the IPv6 interface. The RPC service panics and throws 0XC0020028.

The fix is to re-enable IPv6. Open the registry editor (regedit) and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters

Find the DisableIPv6 DWORD entry. If it's set to 0xFF (255), change it to 0 (or delete the entry entirely). Reboot.

Alternatively, you can re-enable it via the network adapter properties: open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings. Right-click your active adapter, select Properties, and check the box next to Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).

I know it feels wrong to re-enable something you turned off for a reason. But if you're getting this error, IPv6 is the likely missing piece. You can always disable it again after the fix if you really need to—but test first with it on.

Quick-reference summary table

Start with the NIC reset—it's the fastest and fixes most people. If that doesn't work, move to the driver, then to the IPv6 setting. You'll be back online before lunch.