Vista - can't connect using cable modem

am to doing this....
have had a this acer lap top for 2 months.. using charter cable for internet access.. ethernet cable cannection.. 3 weeks ago stopped being able to to connect to the internet... charter says it is the computer... i am able to user the wireless connection fine.. have taken the laptop to the electronics store and it connects to their lan good and surfs.. but at home it will not get a valid ip addresss. per the cable company, the problem is the computer.. also when connected i am not able to select private network in network and sharing...and per charter this is the problem anybody got any idea....

Hi suomi64,
Welcome to the forums.
I would bypass the router and plug a Ethernet cable from the charter cable modem directly to the laptop and see what happens. If it works then try a different port on your router.
Raj

good thought but no router in the loop.. had a friend look at it and went through the the set up for ppoe... got further along but it should not need ppoe.. then we went about using a usb cable and installing the drrivers for it.. now i can surf.. but it seems at a slower rate... not sure why usb would work and a lan connection does not... with usb am able to set to private network... which i was not able to do when conneced with rj45.. i have found a work around but would like to know. what is wrong still...

Sounds like the network port on the modem is jacked.

The USB connection always seemed slower to me as well compared to ethernet.

First contact your cable support techs to make sure your IP settings on their server are showing your modem as active with correct address. It's worth the free call.

Use your built-in network repair utilities and even Network Magic if you can.

Last of all, shut down your computer and unplug the power cord for 5 minutes to reset your newtwork adapter then boot up again.

It's hard to cover every possibility but the last step work for me after a whole day of wishing I had an apple.

I agree this looks like a modem issue as some have stated however try the following if you like. Make sure your IP settings are correct, unless you pay for a static IP your IP should be obtained automatically. However I have seen issues where you may have assign the "typical" IP address the modem would assign in order to get the PC to browse. So again contact your ISP have them walk through your IP settings and if necessary have them walk you through hardcoding your NiC to the common IP given by their cable modem.

Lastly this has nothing to do with the fact that its a PC over a Mac both computer types have internal network cards and can suffer problems or failure. If you take your PC to a second location and you are able to log on and surf the net fine without any adjustments to your PCs settings then I would suggest asking your provider for a modem exchange.

So that indicates that the RJ45 connector is fine.

Do verify that your computer's LAN settings are correct - and it may be something else, as well, such as a *firewall* that is preventing access to *this particular connection*.

Do you have a software firewall installed?

I was referring to the port on the modem, not the laptop...