Can ethernet be used for both direct connect and network access?

"No Internet Access" through the Ethernet card and a Belkin USB wireless adater - TRIED EVERYTHING...?

• ...well, almost! So I have a Windows 7 computer that I can't connect to the internet through either cabled or wireless LAN. Dial-ups work. Here is the exact situation: I have a WiFI connection that I use for work. I use a Belkin N-type wireless router (and this, I believe, is insignificant here because the router is working fine for ALL other computers). On an average we use 4-5 computers on this connection. 1 is a Mac, all others Windows 7. The computer in question is a desktop, and the only desktop that we have, and I have a Belkin USB adapter that I bought specifically for it to connect to the internet. Turns out that it actually connects to the wireless network, however there is "No Internet Access" and the network icon on the task bar shows the little yellow exclamation mark. Now this same wireless adapter works on all other computers (I had ensured this by disabling the inbuilt wireless adapters on the laptops). As in, I can connect to the internet through it on my own WiFi network using the Belkin USB adapter. This computer in question was due for a "format" because it had been acting sluggish, sort of, while using softwares like Photoshop and Draw, so we also did a clean format and reinstalled Windows just to ensure that we would rid any network related config problems in Windows should there have been any. After the Windows reinstall and reinstalling the Belkin USB adapter's driver, the same problem remained. We took the machine to this computer shop next door and they could connect to their WiFi network using this same Belkin USB adapter. We brought it back to our studio and the problem resumed. I am now at wit's end because I basically am a Graphic Designer but due to these Windows machines creating so many unwanted problems every now and then, I had to learn the basics of networking and network troubleshooting through time to resolve the minor issues. All issues in the past, I have been able to resolve by myself. Nonetheless, this time I even hired the professionals, and even they gave up. Trust me when I say that I have looked up multiple articles and threads on the internet for this problem (no internet connection on Windows 7, etc.) and I have tried everything suggested there over and above of what I already knew to troubleshoot, but nothing seems to work. Plus what is weird is that this same WiFi USB adapter works on other computers, on the same computer on a different network, but not on the same computer on our own network. Dial-up connections (we have a wireless broadband connection that connects through USB and "dials" to connect) works though!!! BEFORE THE WIFI USB ADAPTER - I used to use my old Windows XP laptop computer to connect this desktop computer to the internet by sharing the Internet Connection (bridging connections) on my laptop through an Ethernet cable. It used to work PERFECTLY! But now even the Ethernet cable does not work. What I have already tried: > Clean formatting my computer > Uninstall/reinstall the Belkin USB adapter driver > Disabling/reenabling the wireless network connection in the Network and Sharing Center > Change > Adapter Settings > Assigning IP, Gateway and DNS > Automatic assignation of the above > Rebooting my Belkin N wireless router > Check for any possible blocked MAC addresses on my Belkin N wireless router > Check for the number of wireless devices that can connect to my network simultaneously (it's 99) > Windows' network troubleshooter And this is the message I got when I used the troubleshooter (and I have tried the suggested fix on some threads related to that as well) - "Your computer appears to be correctly configured, but the device or resource (DNS server) is not responding)". Any help anyone? Would much appreciate it!

• Answer:

  Okay mate now let me think. Okay we're going to try to get the ethernet cable connection working. Click the small signal strength meter on the bottom right of the screen and click open network and sharing centre. On the left click change adapter settings. You'll see a LAN (wireless too) icon. Right click that and go to properties. You'll see internet protocol v4. Click it to highlight it being careful you don't untick it, click the properties icon. Now click use the following IP address. Now the next lines depend on your ISP, however it's likely to be: IP address 192.168.1.25 or 192.168.0.25 Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0 Default Gateway 192.168.1.1 or replace the one for a zero (remember they both have to correspond with each other, so if the IP is a zero then it will be so on the gateway and preferred DNS server). Preferred DNS server 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. Leave the alternate DNS server empty and click okay. Plug in the cable and see if you can now connect. If you can go back to the change adapter settings and follow these instructions again upto before putting in the numbers and obtain them automatically. Put the same details in for the wireless section under change adapter settings. Let me know how you get on, I'm still keeping this on the watch list. Good luck.