That would make a laptop install "easy." However you don't have those plus you have a possible violation of a XP Corporate License. FREE ADVICE!!! Don't advertise such a thing since it can get you and your company into hot water with Microsoft.
Bob
Ok. From the top:
Running a Dell Precision 650...a gift from my employer...came installed with 2K but have since wiped drive (had to wipe before it could leave the building) and reinstalled with XP SP2 (a cd my employer provided, though it was a burned disc...I assume disc image of their licensed installer cd...it has never asked me to register the copy or authenticate it, but since it came from our office who is huge and nationwide and owns probably thousands of licenses for it, I am really REALLY hoping that its not some sort of issue with this copy of XP iteslf). I had only (until yesterday) been running on a wireless connection...crappy Belkin USB wireless thingy I bought...
Last night, (crashing with friend until my lease begins in Sept) I tried to hook up to the internet (no wireless connection available, and she has no router to even connect alongside her machine). First apparent problem, was that the only items in "network connections" were the 1394 thing and the "wireless connection 2" (the Belkin wireless connection, as it said in the gray writing underneath the connection name). I unplugged the ethernet cable OUT (from the back of the modem) and plugged in another cable (mine) and plugged the other end into my machine. No connection. Nothing new in "network connections". Tried rebooting, got nothing...no additional connections appeared in "network connections". Looked in hardware manager...had a yellow question mark for "other" and within that bracket was "ethernet controller". (Had been that way ever since I first had the machine...noticed it when I was installing drivers after install of XP SP2). Went to the Dell site, found (7 options) drivers for my machine...downloaded all that were relevant:
"Intel - driver" applies to 8254x 1000 Integrated Network
"Intel - diagnostics utility" applies to 8254x 1000 Integrated Network
"Intel - application" applies to 8254x 1000 Integrated Network
And just in case got
"Intel - Application" applies to Alert Standard Format (ASF)
copied on flash drive, put on my computer...unpacked/installed the driver first...asked me if I wanted to write-over (apparently had already installed with the disc of drivers my friend gave me). Wrote over, and the "Other> ethernet controller" category disappeared completely from hardware manager. Rebooted, tried again, nothing. Unpacked/installed the remaining 3 downloads, restarted, still nothing. I have finally (eventually) made a new network connection (connection 2 or whatever) and it says "connected, firewalled"...got the little icon down at the bottom saying that it was trying to acquire an IP address...sat there forever...so I rebooted AGAIN. Came up...apparently got a connection but got the "little or no connectivity" icon...though a mouse-over says it is connected, 100.0 mbps. Still nothing...though when I open a browser window, it doesn't automatically go to the "cannot be found" page...it says "looking up (www.google.com)" down at the bottom before it gives me the "Cannot be found" page. Tried running command "IPCONFIG /RELEASE" but that command got an error message that it could not be completed, wasn't found or something. Tried "IPCONFIG /ALL" and same result. (Wasn't sure which direction for the "slash" so I tried with spaces, without spaces, back slash, forward slash, all possible combinations)...Tried just plain "IPCONFIG" and got the four lines...
Connection-specific DNS Suffix: (NOTHING)
IP Address: (NUMBERS)
Subnet mask: (NUMBERS)
Default gateway: (NOTHING)
I'm not sure, but I thought the "Connection-specific DNS suffix" was not exactly the wording...thought it said something maybe slightly different (might have said something about DHCP?), but not sure...in any case, I had nothing by that line ("Connection-specific DNS Suffix" or whatever the variation may have been), and nothing by "Default gateway". There were "responses" or whatever you'd call it...numbers...beside "IP Address" and "Subnet mask".
I found a windows help file and as a result tried pinging my machine...4 sent, 4 received, just fine. Tried rebooting again. Still nothing. Tried powering off, resetting the modem (because the stupid battery-operated thing couldn't be shut off). Booted again, still nothing...though now (at that point) says 100.0 MBPS and connected, but "cannot be found" when I tried loading a page in Firefox. Checked with WoW and AIM just to be sure there was nothing wrong with some setting in Firefox. No success. Tried tinkering, tried making a new network connection again, nothing...
Finally I gave up and plugged the connection back into her machine (a mac, though I don't imagine that's relevant...but who knows) and now HERS wasn't working. Rebooted her machine, nothing. Powered down, reset modem, powered up, nothing. After another reset and another reboot or two, she was up and running again.
Sorry for how long-winded this was, but I was trying to be as thorough as possible. I have very limited access to the net after 5 pm (eastern) when I leave work, so, not to push my luck, but hoping to have something to go on before I leave here. But any response, any time, is greatly appreciated. If you get it working, and have paypal, I'll even through you a "consulting fee" if you want. I'd just really appreciate the help.
Machine = Dell Precision 650 running XP SP2
Modem = Arris Touchstone Telephony Modem 402(?)
(I am about 99.8% that it is a 402 model, but a look at their website reveals 5 different letters [e.g. A, B, etc] for the 402 model...GOD I hate that thing...)
ISP = Comcast
I don't know what other info I can give, but please ask if there's any other info you might need.
I TRULY appreciate every little scrap of help anyone can give me.
Thanks.

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