The wireless modem died on my laptop the other day. As a result, the only working connection on the thing is the ethernet jack. Unfortunately, the only way to get online with the network at home is wireless. I’m able to bring my laptop to work and plug in there, so I can at least check my email, but they restrict the access pretty heavily, so I can’t do a lot of things that I would normally do online.
I wrote to HP about the problem, but their response was fairly typical. They first told me to try reinstalling the drivers (even though I told them I’d already tried that, but the computer isn’t recognizing even the presence of the hardware in either Vista or Linux, indicating that the modem simply burned out), and then said to mail it to them for servicing. My main problem with that is the fact that my laptop has been my primary computer for nearly a year now, and it will likely take nearly two weeks for the turnaround on repairs. My desktop has been sitting in the garage unused, so I may end up sending the laptop in and using that at least temporarily.
This is, to say the least, more than just inconvenient. I’m halfway tempted to just buy a replacement modem and do the repair myself, even if the computer is still under warranty. They’re sending a postage-paid box for the laptop, however; I’ll probably send it in after I get my desktop set up and running again.