Is the 5150 connecting to the router by wired ethernet or wireless?  To help us diagnose the problem, restart the 5150 and before you run Internet Explorer do the following:  Go to Start > Run and type cmd then click OK. In the command prompt window that opens, type ipconfig /all then hit the enter key. Write down the output from this command or select it and save it to a txt file, then copy this output into a reply to this message.  Then start Internet Explorer, if it can't connect, use "Diagnose Connection Problems" again to fix it and once it is working, open the command prompt window again, run the ipconfig/all command again, and copy the output into a reply to this message so we can compare the two.

Steve

It is connecting by wired ethernet.

OK before running Internet Explorer, the result is as follows:

Windows IP Configuration

        Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : RITCHEO
        Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . :
        Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
        IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-12-3F-B4-94-0D
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
        Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.101
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
        DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.100.1
        Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 08 August 2008 23:15:07
        Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 09 August 2008 23:15:07

After connecting, the result is as follows (The difference is in the DNS Servers, I'm just not entirely sure what that means!!!):

Windows IP Configuration

        Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : RITCHEO
        Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . :
        Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
        IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-12-3F-B4-94-0D
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
        Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.101
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
        DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.168.4.100
                                            194.168.8.100
        Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 08 August 2008 23:19:16
        Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 09 August 2008 23:19:16

Hopefully that will make sense to someone here?!

Thanks, Chris

You're right, the problem is with the DNS servers.  When you first boot up, the dns server address is 192.168.100.1, which is not even in the correct subnet (it should be 192.168.1.1, your router).  So, the question is, why does it have the 100 in third octet.   Which make and model router do you have?  Have you had this computer on another network just before this problem started?   If you open TCP/IP properties for our eitherent adapter (Network Connections > right click Local Area Network > Select Properties > Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) > Select Properties, is it set to obtain a DNS server address automatically?  If not, then set it that way.

Steve

Hey,

OK I followed those instructions but it was already set to obtain the DNS server automatically.

The router is a Linksys Wireless-G. I suspect it could be something to do with this as the problems started not long after I got it but I was open to the option that it could have been coincidence.

No change I'm afraid. I did as you said, then noticed no change upon startup so I ran your previous command (ipconfig/all) before and after connection and the results were the same as those I posted earlier.

It's not a problem with the router.  There is something on your computer that has messed things up.   Try the following;

Open a command prompt window and type ipconfig /flushdns then hit Enter.  Now see if it works.

Steve

Try booting to Safe Mode with Network Support and see if the same problem occurs there.  

Also, try starting Internet Explorer with No Add-ons (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Internet Explorer > No Add-ons) and see if the problem occurs in that mode.

Report back what you find.

Steve

OK, brief progress was made. The No Add-Ons made no difference.

I did NOT occur the problem after re-starting in Safe Mode, but after shutting down and powering up again as normal the problem still exists.

Can I just say thanks just now for all the replys! It must be just as annoying for you every time I come back with no progress made yet you still come up with more ideas so thanks!!!

Chris

If it works in Safe Mode, then it means that something running from startup in Normal Mode is causing the problem.   Try to use msconfig to eliminate startup programs, one at a time until you find the culprit.

Steve