See there can be two problems: (2) modem can not connect at all. In this case, don't reformat your computer. Its a waste of time, effort and no guarantee that your problem will be solved. go to various internet sites and read information about such problems. At most remove current driver of the modem (before you remove note down in a piece of paper which model of modem was installed and was working). Did you computer from Dell or Acer or .... they might have telephone based service system. Toll Free numbers are available. Even if your guarantee period expires, I found DELL helps over telephone. I spend 2 hours to connect to DELL's support and talked to 1 hours. They try to help you from scratch, just follow what they ask you. Prepare all CDs that was sent to you at the time you purchased the computer. They will tell what you should do and what you should not do. Reformatting is a solution to dumb, only dumb should do it for each and every problem. Modem does connect is not a big deal, only you need time and passions. If you are tired of doing yourself, and have never tried AOL, then bring AOL disk (Free 1000hours or 2 months) try their CD, it usually works and if it does not work, call them and get free support and they have list of setting for each and every modem, they will tell you which switch has to be clicked and which one needs to set off. Have you ever noticed AOL V9.0 advertisement in TVs, three girls buy a computer and needs to connect to internet. A techie boy in neighborhood approaches them whether they need any help, poses as if a great computer tech vetran, and they proudly so "No thanks". I think you can understand AOL V9.0 is so simple. I used AOL for 14months without any trouble and telephone support was great. Just need Dhairyata to get phone connected to them.(waiting time). Now, you can try yourself the different modem settings. First note down all connection settings in a paper. Then, start playing with those settings. It will give a great time to learn whats going on inside those connections. You will understand each and every panel. internet connection is not like in 1995, you are in 2005, its much simpler. Keep on trying one after another settings and use your commonsense of computer vocabulory. After a couple of hours in your weekend, you might find a Colombus egg or Eureka. Just try, try but try to remeber what you are doing i.e. remember these panels and words and notes. Go to MS help, tells you what these words or phrases are meant. This knowledge will be useful to you for rest of your life time. This is your great chance to learn these stuffs, don't say, hey this is not for me, just don't give up. As long as modem does not connect to internet, don't worry much you or somehwere you will find a solution, trust google and keep on trying several universities' website about solving internet connection problem to univ. servers because one or other univ.'s server might be working the way your univ's server is working. try those hints. Main problems are caused by Proxy connections, firewall and DNS servers. IF you are not assigned with any fixed IP address to your computer, shut off proxy, select auto. ip and dns addresses. (1) modem can connect to internet (Task bar shows internet connection near clock). Well, my computer failed to connect to internet via internet explorer. though my modem connects. My univ.'s IT dept failed to solve this problem, though they handle 100s of DELL computers, and they blamed to DELL for wrong driver. Then, my BIL who is also network engineer, told me to contact DELL, and when I told him my warranty period already expired and he told me that DELL might provide phone support service and indeed, after hooking my telephone for 2 hours, one guy "Indian" who was nice and kind started to find out what happened to my computer. I did what he asked me to do. After making several trials of on and off, he failed and he told me he will call me with a solution. Never called. I have to find him this saturday, because my cellphone is free on sat. sun. and toll free works only on sat sun. I was given suggestions by several persons to format computer. I told them that thats dumb's suggestions, a person with a cancer, given solution like clone your gene and die it. What happened to my all softwares that I installed and ran. Copying to CD and back to computer wow... .terrible. Emails in outlook express sometime don't work as before, i.e. old emails ..... I tell them that tell me how to do fishing if you can not give me a fish, but don't tell me to break the dam and drain all river to find a fish. Don't give up. Learn it. You can do it. today's computers are made for peoples who even don't what " press any key" means and have to call to manufactuer "where is that "Press any key", I don't find in that keyboard". Don't go for Reformatting your hard disk. How many times will you reformat? Window reinstallation in safe mode might be good choice, disk reformatting is the worst and final choice once or twice in the life of that particular computer. GP