I tried winsock, though I get the same error. I also tried uninstalling and reinstalling the driver for the network card. Not sure if this is relevant but when I tried to bypass my network by using a usb connection to my cable modem, I got an error from Windows indicating a file could not be found. I used the driver disc that came with the modem.

I disabled my Windows restore when I set-up the machine for the first time, and have not used it since.

I want to apologize for any confusion I have caused on this thread. I noticed my replies had not been posted to the main thread as intended. I reposted key information in those replies to the main thread on the networking problem I have with my Inspiron 8500.

My Windows version is: XP Pro SP2. The hardware is an Inspiron 8500 with 512MB of ram and an ATI Radeon video card. Main utility programs: Systemsuite Zone Alarm internet security suite Spybot Search & Destroy Lavasoft Ad-aware Away Adware Away

I have an update on my attempts to restore my ethernet connection. After several forum sites, I found the following procedures: First approach: 1) netsh winsock reset catalog 2) uninstall nic drivers and reboot This failed to restore the connection, and a ip address could not be acquired. Second approach: 1) ipconfig /flushdns 2) ipconfig /release all 3) ipconfig /renew all 4) ipconfig /all The error message indicated that no nic adapters were in a state permis sible for this operation. Third approach: 1) netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt 2) run services.msc and check that dhcp is running. Still unable to renew the connection and get an ip address. The computer cannot see the router and does not receive packets. I plan on doing a repair install on Windows since I cannot find the broken part on the ethernet connection. Attempts to use a pcmcia nic resulted in the same error. I cannot think of anything else to try, does anyone have some ideas? Derek