I have a Macbook 10.6.8 and am constantly having problems with a self assigned IP everywhere I go. In my apartment I have an ethernet port in the wall and do not have access to reset the router but I feel as though it is a problem with my macbook anyway...this is how it goes...

I will be able to connect to the internet through ethernet at my apartment for a few days, then randomly for a week it will only do a self-assigned IP...then a day or two the internet will be fine, then a day or two itll be gone, and the pattern continues...It also does this with the airport at school (im a college student)...but randomly I won't be able to connect to the school's airport because of a self-assigned IP but if I just let it try and find an IP for 30 to 40 minutes it will randomly come on out of the blue...everytime this happens it is so random and has no correlation as to when it happens...I am just very confused and frusterated...I have tried every suggestion it seems such as

1. renewing the DHCP license

2. manually entering in my IP address

3. checking and unchecking "use passive FTP mode"

4. turning on "auto proxy discovery"

5. any and every combination of the above mentioned

It seems every single forum I read it is just a bunch of people saying "i have the problem too" and "same problem here"...everyone says they have the same problem except no one has came up with a sure fire solution...someone please help...it is very frusterating and all of my friends that have macs do not have this problem, just need help, thank you