Do you have a different network cable to try?  Can you reproduce the problem by wiggling on the network cable at either end while it is working?

Steve

Thanks, volcano11. I dont have a different cable at this moment (my school's computer center is closed for a 4-day weekend, so I wont be able to get one until weds, probably). I tried wiggling the network cable at both ends, but I didnt get a consistent response (i.e. sometimes the connection would go out or come back, and sometimes nothing would happen). Since I was also wondering whether the jack in my computer was possibly loose, I left the laptop on my desk, untouched, to see if the problem persisted even if the cable was not moved/jiggled. Now the connection was working when I placed it on the desk, and it worked for an hour or two with no problems, and then I lost it again. So I'm thinking the problem is indeed the ethernet drop in my room. Any other thoughts?