Julie, the server they had a problem with the other day was relating to one of their SQL servers. These are Database servers, purely for use by customer websites. Nothing at all to do with your Internet connection
I suspect you may have issues with your wireless, which will obviously be affecting your connection to the Internet.
Firstly, about the enabling/disabling of network adapters. Yes you need to be an administrator or have administrator powers on the computer to be able to do this.
Secondly, did you have a look to see whether "Local Area Connection" was there in Network Connections? If this is Grey, it's disabled, and needs enabling. If it's lit up blue but with a red cross through, it's enabled, and should work if you plug in.
If you still can't get it to work with an ethernet cable, I'd like you to do the following for me:
1. Make sure the wireless is fully ENABLED and working.
2. WITHOUT disabling anything, connect an ethernet cable from the router to the laptop.
3. Click Start -> Run and type
cmd then click OK or press Enter
4. *very carefully* type the following:
ipconfig /all > temp.txt (then press enter)
5. *again very carefully* type:
notepad temp.txt (and then press enter again).
Notepad should open with the temp.txt file you just created. Finally:
6. Copy and paste the entire contents of this document into a post here.
That will give us all the info you need, and don't worry, it won't give us any identifying info about your PC. (If you want to blank out the "Host Name" of your PC then you can do if you would feel better) We need to get to the bottom of this!
I'll await your reply to see where we go next.