aah, maybe someone here will know about internet things and tell me how to stop stealing bandwith.

[oranges]

I'm online at the moment, leaching off an unsecured network. When I try to connect via ethernet or wifi to the network I am meant to, I can't. The signal is strong, but no connection to the internet. Any idea why? Please?

Maybe your ISP is down? Is there any indication on the modem that you are receiving the internet? There should be a little light.

You should shut everything down and restart the modem, then the router, then your computer.

I'm sure ST is right, it is usually the mysterious sequence the bloody things are switched on in when that happens to me. Very frustrating.

The modem light is flashing, and I am def connected to the internet. I've tried swotching on and off. I think its something to do with my TCP/IP but I have no idea what that is.

What do you mean, when you say 'no connection to the internet'? You can't get out?

Stealing bandwidth isn't that big a deal, but it's better to use your own network.

You've switched on and off the wireless router thing? Can you connect to the router itself?

I have that problem too with my wireless router at home -- no idea why, and I've found others on the internet with the same problem but no reliable solution. I can connect this laptop to other wireless routers/networks (at my mother's house, for example, or at hotels). I can connect other laptops with wireless connectivity to this router. But I can't connect this laptop to this router. No idea why. Eventually I gave up and I just connect it to the router with an Ethernet cable instead.

Does your wireless network have WEP/WPA security switched on?

What happens when you select your own network
and can you see it in the options list?

Thanks for all your suggestions. I took it to a techie, who said my computer had an over complicated network bridge. He dismantled it, and now it works fine.