Is this a modem or a router?
How is the connection made in windows?
Is DHCP enabled?
If you want to use a fixed IP, edit
Restart networking
How do you connect? networkmanager, wicd....
Do you get errormessages?

Kind regards

k3lt01: I don't believe so, I have never had to use a password. Is there a way that I can check? I am convinced that my problem is a file of sort/software. I can run windows w/ connectivity and all, I switched out every connection from one pc to the other and there is no problem with the hardware. I am going to bring up again this issue w/ my desktop pc, this may or may not have bearing. After leaving my computer on for several hours, the screen goes dark. The on/off button which is green when on, goes yellow. What previously brought the screen back to life was to simply move the mouse or hit a key, this does nothing. My processor at this same time seems to go into indefinite hibernation. The on/off button is green-lit, fine, but when I touch it quickly, the processor's other lights go into lighting up momentarily, the disk drives open and close but that's all that seems to happen. I have to press and hold in the processor's on/off button for it to shut down and then I can boot back up. This issue has piggy-backed the primary issue. Ken

Ken do what Repo suggested and let us know what happens. I'm getting to a point where I'll start guessing at things because to my mind we should have been able to sort it out by now.

Repo: "Is this a modem or a router?" Modem
"How is the connection made in windows?" I'm not sure exactly what you mean. I am wired from my phone jack to the modem, from modem to computers, I have 4 ports on the back of the modem and have a desk-top (linux) and a lap-top (windows) connected.
"Is DHCP enabled?" How do I test/find out if DHCP is enabled?
"If you want to use a fixed IP," edit Code:
/etc/network/interfaces Do you recommend I try this?
"How do you connect? networkmanager, wicd.... How do I find this out?
"Do you get errormessages?' Error messages from what/where? Ken

Look in windows if it uses DHCP or a fixed IP, or look at the settings from the modem.
It wouldn't hurt to try :-)
Backup the file before making the changes though.
When you make the connection.
How do you connect?

Kind regards

I have been working on this issue for too long, I am leaving in the next week to go out on the road for work, need to fix this issue. Can I just update or load another version of Ubuntu and be done w/ this issue? Does anyone know if I do this, will I loose any pictures stored in FSpot photo manager? Much appreciated, Ken.

ken u will lose their soul of teamwork. these supporters are good company ..myself..enjoyed the the course of troubleshooting your problem although i am not a geek nor a guru in linux
but I think u as a beginner should depend more on graphical tools rather than command line tools but they as professionals depend solely on command line which is difficult for u .you should read more about linux not to solve this problem but to gain more experience
search amazon.com for "Linux Bible" or "Linux for Dummies" ..read about networking basics and networking in linux so the that u can USE help offered to u efficiently.
and " no pain ..no gain"

Backup all your data before doing an upgrade or installing a new OS.
You never came back with answers to the questions asked, or results from the proposed actions.

Kind regards

My comrades, my apologies for the temporary surrender. I just moved my family of 12 (yes they are all ours) out of state, into a new home last week, have been negotiating new work to begin while trying to settle us in. Great life, just a bit dizzy when I look at my watch. I will pick up where I left off and (w/ your help) figure this issue out. Thank you for the shot in the arm. Ken

repo: I keyed in "/etc/network/interfaces", response "permission denied".
DHCP issue, I went to windows and found: "IP Address 10.0.0.30"
"Subnet mask:255.255.255.0
"Assigned by DHCP"
Error Messages: When I boot up, and click on firefox icon, the message comes back "Firefox can't find the server at start.ubuntu.com"
I am getting a similar message on both machines at start-up, "Well, this is embarrassing, Firefox cant' find the last session, this is usually due to a recently opened page".
I am now getting on my linux machine an error message: "Your browser has been updated and needs to be restarted". I click on restart and nothing happens, it just loops back to same message. Am I to assume that my linux machine is using the same IP address as my windows? and that DHCP on linux is assigned and working due to the info above on windows machine? Ken.

Try
Kind regards

repo: keyed in "sudo cat /etc/network/interfaces". Response: auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
Ken.

You don't have any network configured.
How do you connect?
Do you use wireless, wired....
Do you use networkmanager, wicd....
Please post the output from
Kind regards

repo: I have a wired connection w/ a modem. I am not sure on networkmanager or alternate, where would I find the answer to that? I pay a service-century link- and hook-up and go. I keyed in sudo ifconfig, response was similar to that on page 3:
Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:72 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:72 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collision:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:5440 (5.4KB) TX bytes:5440 (5.4KB)
Ken

Repo: I sent a reply, is there something I am missing, please respond, Ken.