No internet connection at home but can connect in different building

[willplinhai]

Hello, We had 2 laptops and a pc working through a router with no internet problems. My wife's Toshiba laptop had other problems so IT guy at the college where I teach did a clean install of XP and checked the machine in his office, including internet. No problem. Brought machine home and no internet connection. My laptop works fine on wife's cable to the router. Wife's Toshiba has wireless but cannot establish connection with wire. Another tech guy who lives above us took the laptop up to his place - no connection. Back in the office (different building)- connection. The IT men are baffled. Me too. Any suggestions?

 

[calmstateofmind]

So if I'm to get this correct, when she uses a wire at home it works but not wirelessly, and when she tries it at work wirelessly it works. Correct?

 

[willplinhai]

So if I'm to get this correct, when she uses a wire at home it works but not wirelessly, and when she tries it at work wirelessly it works. Correct?

No. Wireless at home and in office no problem.
Works on wire in office but not at home and not in IT man's apartment upstairs. Wire and router are OK - my laptop works fine on her wire and she has now resurrected my ancient Dell Inspiron and is using it on that same wire through the same router. Weird eh?

 

[calmstateofmind]

When you connect her laptop at home via ethernet, what does the computer do? Do you see it trying to obtain an IP address, or does it not even recognize the connection...?

 

[willplinhai]

Thanks for replying.

 

[willplinhai]

When you connect her laptop at home via ethernet, what does the computer do? Do you see it trying to obtain an IP address, or does it not even recognize the connection...?

Does nothing. No recognition. No light at the cable socket, nothing on screen...nothing.