This time the network connection would not initialise. Vista reported that it is trying to establish a connection.
Seriously, does this sound like a one-off or is Vista "Basic" a badly flawed afterthought?
Seriously, does this sound like a one-off or is Vista "Basic" a badly flawed afterthought?
Make sure that the DHCP Client Service is running -- I've had problems with Norton Antirivus in the past adding itself as a dependency to that service, and NOT remove it after uninstalling. Meaning that even though Norton was no longer there, it kept the DHCP client service from starting. Without the DHCP client service, your computer won't ask for an IP address on the network, hence no network connectivity.
I had to go into the registry and remove the Norton dependency from the service manually. Don't know if Norton ever ficed that in newer versions, but it sure sounds like something that could be applicable here.
So, to be fair: While Vista may not be the best OS ever, Norton antivirus is a steaming pile of <something> that very well might be the root of the problem here, not Vista.