ok I am really frustrated and need help ASAP. I have an external cable modem which I am using on a laptop right now. My problem is with my desktop computer. When I have the modem connected to it, it says I am online but i get the "page cannot be displayed" message when i start IE. And MSN messenger won't sign in either because I am "offline" or whatever. I have tried a number of different things and none worked. I would be happy with any suggestions. I am desperate. Thank you, Tony

The problem is with Internet Explorer, check the following: http://www.mvps.org/inetexplorer/answers.htm#dns

Not sure if this helps, but in IE, click File on the Menu Bar, then click Work Online.

If the above doesn't work, try powering down the modem for 30 seconds, and turning it on again, or powering down, rebooting and turning it on during reboot. If that doesn't work, go to the command prompt and type in ipconfig /release (space before slash), enter, and then ipconfig /renew, and tell me what message you get. Chuck's message above sounds promising.