Okay, I have just built a new PC and everything is fine, except the onboard ethernet isn't working. The link light for the cat-5 cable isn't lighting at all, and its a wired connection (straight to the cable modem). I have tried another PC to the modem and it works fine. I'm not too internet savvy so any help would help A LOT!!!!! Thanks

Did you install the software that accompanied your Cable Modem? Life's more painless for the brainless.

In a "Just Built" system there are things you need to check. If it is an Onboard NIC did you instal the chipset drivers for the motherboard? Sometimes BIOS defaults have NIC disabled. HAve you looked in BIOS to see if there is a setting there that you need to change? In Windows Device Manager is the NIC listed and working? I used to have a signature but it disappeared and I just couldn't be bothered writing another so please feel free to ingore this.

I don't think they're are any drivers for the modem. I do have the NIC enabled in BOIS, and it is listed in device manager. Maybe I need to reinstall the chipset driver. Thanks for the help guys, and I'll post if nothing works.

Tried reinstalling the LAN drivers and nothing. Task manager notices a connection and every now and then will spike, but I still can't access the internet. I have a physical address, IP address and a subnet mask, but no default gateway, no DNS server and no WINS server if that helps at all. P.S. My address type says "automatic private address".....

try this Try start/Run and type in: " netsh int ip reset " (Without the Quotes) This will rebuild the TCP/IP protocol stack " If at first you don't succeed, Please Post Back "

Until you get the Link light lit then nothing will happen. It should light as soon as you plug the cables in and is not dependant on any drivers or other software to work. It's a hardware problem, not software. Are you by chance using a crossover cable instead of a straight through patch cable. In fact are you using a known good cable. Stuart