I Need Help

Well, we knew that already, but....

Anyway, I'm finally in the 21st century and finally got me a high speed connection.

Great, but before all the pomp and circumstance, I'm getting one headache after another and I just want to get online without all the technobabble (I'm allergic)

So here's the deal: My niece has the modem/router/whatever that dealie is. I got me a card/adapter/whatever this dealie is.

First problem was finding the network I was supposed to be on. This took me several trips online through my dial up before I finally got the info I needed in a language I could understand (Funny aside: It was the one I went on in the first place but left a few seconds later because I didn't want to be somewhere I wasn't supposed to be.

So I finally got on the network, and now this lovely deal:

"Limited or no connectivity

you might not be able to access the internet or some network resources. This problem occured because the network did not assign a network address to the computer."

Finding several results but only finding a couple I understand, even after searching the entire error message. I tried the ones I do understand, nothing.

So I figure the starting point is getting the IP assigned.

The sites I seem to keep finding either only explain how to assign an IP to the main computer (My niece's) or to get back online after an XP Service Pack 2 glitch (I did download SP2 about three months ago, but I'd like to worry about my current problem before checking to see if that's the problem, because I doubt it, since it seems like that's a problem for people already on high speed who downloaded SP2 and it crashed)

Also: Just for shits and giggles, I plugged her IP, Mask, Wins, whatever all those funky ass numbers are into my properties. I got a "perfect" connection, I just can't get anywhere or anything. So I guess I'm at least on the right track with that.

So anyhow yes, I am an idiot. Funny story: As frustrating as dial up is, it's even more frustrating knowing there's high speed in the house and I can't get to it.

Can any of you help me? Or do any of you at least know what I'm rambling about?