How can I change my public IP address?

"since you don't elaborate on your reasons, we can only guess :)

if it was just for surfing, most free proxy services offer sufficient speed. downloading files, however, is quite a different affair.

so, if your concerns involve torrent downloads, consider a seedbox (a private dedicated server used for uploading and downloading files - quite popular in the torrent scene). such services ain't free but they offer privacy and speed.

download the torrent file (which is tiny) through a free web proxy, fire up your seedbox and let it do the dirty donkey work.

10 Really Cheap Seedboxes That Anyone Can Afford"

"I'm getting my IP through DHCP

The IP you get through DHCP is just your internal one, normally something like 192.168.x.x, not the external one.

To change your external IP without a proxy you would have to disconnect from and reconnect to your ISP.

Your operating system itself can't change this one."

"With DHCP, you're not going to be able to control the IP address you're going to receive. You may be able to unplug your router/cable/dsl modems and let it sit anywhere from 2-20 minutes, then plug it back in. At which point, you may get a new IP address from your ISP, tho it may be in the same range.

That said, I have Cox High Speed, and sometimes, I get a completely different IP's when i reset my modem. Your Mileage May Vary"

"A Virtual Private Network ( VPN ) is good for this sort of thing.

It consists of a client (i.e. you) and a server which has been setup to act as a VPN. When you run the VPN software on your PC, it automatically routes all your Internet traffic to the VPN server. The server then acts as a gofer and fetches and sends all the requests you make whether its in Skype or your browser. The end result is all websites you visit only see the VPN servers ip address. This all happens nicely in the background untill you turn off the connection. You can use the vpn software on different internet connections as well. So if you do a lot of moving around it will connect fine.

There are two ways you can access such a service. One is to subscribe to a commercial vpn service. Once you subscribed they will tell you how to install the software on your omputer. Then all your Internet traffic will be routed through their servers. Prices range between around $10 - $30 per month depending on speed, gb per month you require etc. This is the easy way.

The other way is to rent a server yourself and configure it as a vpn server ( one great free software is called openvpn ). To tell you the truth I don't think this will work out economically for you unless you have some friends who you can share the server costs with.

Installing the stuff will usually require use of the command line and a basic knowledge of subnets, iptables and a little primer on public and private keys. If you don't know what they are or how they work I'd definatley go for the first option. If you still want to roll your own then you will find plenty of information on serverfault.com (sister site to this). I know, because i used it a lot to roll my own vpn to access the BBC whilst abroad. I was very green and it took an age.

Hope that helps"