New PC cannot connect to DSL

I have a new PC I have been trying to connect to my DSL line for about a week.

The pc is a Dell B110/1100 and has an Intel PRO/100 VE Network interface.  Th operating system is windows XP Home.  I have a live dsl connection that I use with my laptop without problem, but when I connect the cable to the new PC, I just get a 'Page not available message' and the LAN connections shows ''A network cable is unplugged" message.  The connection is direct to the modem from the dsl provider (Verizon).  I have two working cables and have tried each.  I have recycled the modem several times to no avail.  The status lights on the ethernet connection both on the PC and on the modem are off when the new PC is connected.  I reinstalled the driver for the NIC, updated the BIOS, reset TCP/IP and WINSOCK - all things I found from various troubleshooters.  The only thing that seemed like it 'might' help is when I tried to reset some of the Link speed on the NIC - changed from auto to 100Mbps/Half Duplex.  When I made that change, at least the status lights came on, but I still could not connect to anything.  I spent a lot on time with the Dell support people, and they all concluded that the problem was not theirs - the hardware was funcitioning perfectly.  The Internet service provider also did their tests, and as I do have a live dsl connection, concluded that the problem was in the pc.  They advised that they do not have any special pc configuration required for connection.  I believe this to be accurate based on my limited experience connecting my laptop and my previous desktop pc.  I am about out of patience at this point, but thought I post this to see if anyone can provide some guidance.

Thanks

Ken