I only have IE as my browser and it will not connect to the internet. My laptop will not shut down normally - I have to power down. Geek squad suggested that I reformat my hard drive. Is this the only option? They also advised replacing it since it is 4 years old.

The big box guys suggested you buy a new computer instead of fix your existing one? Imagine that! Now if THAT isn't a conflict of interest I don't know what is!

Anyway, we'll start with the most basic first, a system restore back several MONTHS:

1. START > PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > SYSTEM RESTORE
2. Choose "Restore my computer to an earlier time"
3. NEXT
4. In Section 1 go back several months and select a date that is BOLD
5. A restore point (or several) should appear in Section 2. select one
6. NEXT > NEXT
7. System shuts down and the restore point is installed

Hopefully this cures what ails you.

Hopefully a system restore will work - but in my experience different models do different things. It may not always work - which will leave you with an error message telling you that the system could not retore. If that happens, you still do not need to buy a new computer - there's other things that can be done to see why you are not connecting.

Please let us know what happens. If it does restore and the internet is not working, or you cannot restore please let us know a couple of things:

1. What is your operating platform: XP, Vista, etc.
2. What is your current copy of IE
3. Do you have a virus/spyware checker installed and is it run frequently
4. Were any new programs installed right before this started happening

I don't know what your setup is like, but if you have a router (i.e. you're not in a dorm room or public place) sometimes unplugging the router for about 10-30 seconds and then replugging it back in can do wonders.

Do you have any other Internet using applications (i.e. Instant Messaging software)? If so, can they connect to the Internet at all? If the answer is yes, your problem lies with your installation of IE. Get a friend to download the latest version of Firefox for you and put it on some form of portable media, then install that and try to connect.

If you cannot connect using an Instant messenger, or you do not have one, please answer SingingNun's questions, specifically regarding firewalls and any network setup you may have.

As far as having to shut down your laptop, check your power management settings in Control Panel. One of the options there should be related to how the computer handles a shutdown.

Log onto IE? IE is just a browser that opens and reads whatever you tell it to read. If you aren't connected to the internet and you open it, it'll give a read error cause it can't read anything. (Although it can read stuff already on your hard drive.) And depending on your privileges level, there may be certain things about it you can't change. But "log in" to IE?

While you did that restoration, did you get all the drivers on there? Do you have other disks that came with it? Everything may not be on one disk. And anything that did not come with the computer itself may have its own disk.

May be he is having an internet connection problem.. to the internet... What error message do you get.? Do you have a wireless router at home ?

I have always had problems with IE, have you tried Firefox?

twilcox, what a recovery CD loads depends on the computer and what comes with it. The poster called it a "restoration" CD, which doesn't mean anything in particular. It might be just the operating system and there may be more disks available that need to be used.

If you know anything, enough to leave me a negative over something so silly, then you should know you can't pay that close attention to the terminology people use, nor know for sure exactly what they did or did not do. Are you going to tell me you know for sure that this computer absolutely did not come with any other CD's that may contain drivers, or that you know for absolutely sure that something was not purchased separately from the computer or upgraded somewhere that perhaps has its own disks? Because you can't. Unless you have ESP, in which case don't bug me just because I don't have your ESP.

My computer came with several CD's, and yes, some have drivers and such and not just extra software. So if I say I used the "restoration CD" are you going to tell me when my modem doesn't work that there absolutely isn't another disk around somewhere cause the CD should've restored all that? Or have you just never heard of doing it any other way? I was merely asking the poster about it, trying to cover other bases. Jeez.

And I get a negative because I questioned the poster about saying "log in."?? So what.

Boy, just once I'd like to get a negative reputation cause I actually said something factually incorrect. I really wish people would stop abusing that thing.

Thank you. I appreciate the help. I was able to restore internet connection to IE by using the restoration disk. Before I was able to share the printer connected to my desktop and nothing was changed on that computer (printer drivers are still OK), but I am having trouble getting the printer to work with my laptop. I have updated everything and the "shared printer" shows up on the laptop and it shows that there are documents waiting to be printed, however a test page will not print so I am working on that issue now. It does appear that everything is OK regarding IE, I just have to restore connection from the laptop to the printer.