BleepingComputer.com: Internet Connection Not Working

I have a laptop that I am working on that will not open webpages or download updates. It is a Dell XPS M140 that is running Windows XP w/ SP3 and the program that manages the wireless networks is Intel PROSet/Wireless.

According to the Intel program I am connected to the wireless network. I tried re-entering all of the information (WEP, encryption, etc.) to make sure that the settings it has for the network are correct. It tells me that I am connected and have a full signal. When I open IE or Firefox, it will not open any webpages. I get the "cannot display the webpage" error that typically comes when you are not connected to a network. I have tried disabling and then enabling the connection. I have tried disabling the radio and then enabling it.

I have tried disabling the wireless connection and then connecting to my network through an ethernet cable and that gives me the same problems. I have set-up the required IP settings and everything seems to be correct. I even double checked the settings with another computer and that computer connected without problems. The computer tells me that the connection is working and that it is connected, but I still cannot open any webpages.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Is there a reason why you are configuring the IP settings manually? I'm wondering if there may be a problem related to that. Maybe you can go back into the settings and enable DHCP to let the settings be configured auto and see if that works?

The network is set up so that I must configure the IP addresses manually. This was done for security reasons as it is located at my work. I am confident that the settings are correct.

Okay then, moving on. Are you on a domain? I ask that because I'm wondering if it's a firewall issue and that maybe your firewall settings (or some other network settings) are governed by group policy.

I am on a domain. I have been able to access the network through this laptop with no problems previously (a few months ago last time I tried). The user of this laptop has the same problem at his house which is not on a domain and does not have a firewall.

I ran a scan for malware and came up empty, so that is ruled out.

IMO...the fact that you cannot achieve a functional wired or wireless connection...points to the possibility of onboard hardware failure.

I would try removing all NIC drivers...then reinstalling same...then setting up the connection, using the New Connection Wizard in XP.

I would forget about connecting to the network initially...and just try a simple home ISP network connection first. This ought to provide a strong clue as to whether the hardware is indeed working properly.

Louis

I uninstalled all of the network drivers and restarted the computer. When it restarted, Windows automaticall installed new drivers for the devices. I tried to get on and it still didn't work. I am not even getting the DNS error message any more. It doesn't look like Firefox nor IE are trying to connect. I did a fresh install of Firefox to see if there was something corrupted from a previous virus or something and no luck.

I ran a ping to www.yahoo.com through the command line interface and all 4 packets sent were received with an average time of 72ms.

Would it be worth running a Hijack This log and seeing if any one notices something out of whack? I am hesitant to think that it is a hardware problem because Windows detected it, reinstalled the drivers and connected to the network.