MNEM0SYNE: Having trouble connecting to the internet after a reformat (Wireless)

MNEM0SYNE: Having trouble connecting to the internet after a reformat (Wireless)
Hello! I'm having trouble with my computer, and I've tried what little I know how to try, so I'm asking for help.

First, I should say that I have a Dell Inspiron 300m laptop running XP.

I should also give a little backstory that might have helped to screw things up. For the last two years, I've been teaching English overseas in Japan. In Sept. 2006, my computer had a problem and needed to be reformatted. After the computer was fixed, I registered for Yahoo! Broadband Wireless internet. They gave me a…I don't know the technical name, I'm sorry. It plugs into a USB drive and looks like a USB storage device. It's a little stick. This stick hooked up to the Yahoo!BB for me.

Before I was in Japan, my computer could automatically connect to the internet. There would be a little computer symbol that appeared in my toolbar near the timestamp. A little bubble would come up saying it could connect/etc. In Japan on Yahoo!BB, I get a little box shaped like the USB-like device that I'd been using.

Okay, so that's the backstory for what I had. Now, I'm back in the USA, and I can't connect to the internet for some reason. The little computer and bubble aren't appearing. I still have an image of the USB-like device with a big red X over it. When I ask it to "View Available Networks," it says the Status is "Device Not Connected." The information on top of this screen says WN-G54/BB Wireless LAN Adapter Setting….BUT I went into my Control Panel and clicked Network Connections. It says I have a 1394 Connection that is 'Connected, Firewalled; 1394 Net Adapter.' When I right-click and hit Status, it says the Status is 'Connected,' lists the time duration that it's been online since the computer has been turned on (currently says 01:14:18), and says the Speed is 400.0 Mbsp…………but it's NOT connected because it's still trying to connect through the device that I had to return to the company when I discontinued the service.

I went onto Dell's Official Site, looked up drivers and downloads for the Inspiron 300m, and downloaded a couple of the Wireless Drivers from another computer and transferred them over to mine. But, even though it installed, nothing happened after a reboot, and everything is still what I wrote above. Then, I went into Troubleshooting and Dell asked me to Run devmgmt.msc, open my Network Adapters, and see if what I had started with DELL or with INTEL. Well, at the moment, neither. It says 1394 Net Adapter, which matches with the other information I matched. So I searched my computer, and I do have a folder for Dell Wireless (though I'm not sure if it's what I installed today or not).

So this is all of my information that I can provide you with and everything that I tried. My plea is for help to get my laptop connected to the internet again and to make that computer and its bubble appear at the bottom of my screen once more. I don't know how to do it or what to do to look it up. My computer used to self-connect to the internet, and now…I don't know what's wrong with it, and I don't know how to look it up and find out more. I'm not too computer-savvy and only knwo the basics.

If you can help me, thank you so, so much. I would really, REALLY appreciate any help!!

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