Computer Frustrations! Techinal Help Needed!

[mhrc4]

Originally Posted by NirvanaMan

It's usually an issue with the cable company, but they like to place the blame on the end user to save themselves the effort of actually attempting customer service.

not neccsesarily...

without getting into too much detail, it sounds like the ISP has the MAC address of the laptop in their DHCP database, and in order to get the desktop back online, the OP needs to reboot her modem, THEN plug in the desktop and try to get online.

This is yet another reason I highly reccomend getting a Linksys/Dlink/Netgear firewall/router for your home use, costs around $60 but well worth it.