How Do You Hook Up A Laptop To The Internet?

Sometimes, I think I've seen it all when it comes to computers, but something comes and turns my entire world upside down. No, it's not the fact that I get to solve problems that I can't actually describe or name their causes. The fact is that I always end up facing some "computer specialist" that comes with lame excuses for his incompetence. Before we move to the question we'll answer today, I have to tell you a very short story...... and the story is exactly about such a person. A friend of my father has an older computer, and he got a new LCD TV to go with it. So far, so good, but when he got the LCD TV installed(it also acts like a LCD monitor for the computer), there were some problems with the video drivers, so he ended up with a very nice 640X480 pixels at 8 bit desktop.

The funny part comes when a guy from the local ISP comes to setup the connection, and he says there's no way to get the MAC address unless the video drivers are properly setup! Sure, you need 32 bit colors to read some white text on black background in the Command Prompt window...This is a true story, but there's always something even more hilarious comin' up, time has made me understand that. Anyway, the question about hooking up a laptop to the Internet isn't that lame, after all. In fact, it's a decent question most beginners would ask... so how do you hook up a laptop to the Internet, after all?

Before anything else, you should check the features list of your mobile computer, to see the connection types you can use. For example, being able to hook up to a cable network at home and via some USB modem while on the road is no big deal, and there's even more to it, since Wi-Fi capabilities are also very common these days.

If you run into any problems, be sure to check that all drivers are properly installed, before calling your ISP. After all, you wouldn't like to be laughed at, right?

In the end, there's only one answer to the question - THINK! Before asking how do you hook up your laptop to the Internet, think about the OS you're using, and the connection type, just as I mentioned above. Once you know a little about those, everything should become clearer - just look for the answer to your specific question, like "creating a wireless connection on Vista" or "connecting to the Internet in Ubuntu," that's all!

Just one more thing - if you really get in trouble, post a comment below, and we'll all be happy to help, and you'll also help others having the same problem by asking your question. Just don't be shy - in the end, everything will be fine, sooner or later...

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