Q I'm having Internet connection problems with my Comcast cable modem. Recently I unplugged my laptop from the modem and plugged in my wife's computer. Later I reconnected my laptop to the modem, but couldn't get an Internet connection. Comcast's technical help line couldn't fix the problem, so I took the computer to a repair shop, which fixed the Internet connection by altering the PC's connection settings. But when I got home, the laptop still wouldn't work with my Internet connection. What's wrong?
COLIN NAGENGAST, EAGAN
A Comcast says you should reboot the cable modem each time you disconnect your laptop and plug in your wife's computer, and vice versa. That should allow the modem to resynchronize with the computer that's attached to it. The best way to reboot a cable modem is to unplug the power cord on the back of it, wait about a minute, then plug it back in. (Depending on which model cable modem you have, you also may have to push a button on the top of the modem once you've plugged the power cord in again.)
Another option would be to buy a wireless router and plug your cable modem into that. As long as your laptop and your wife's computer have Wi-Fi (either built-in or added by purchasing a USB Wi-Fi antenna) you can both connect to the Internet at the same time.
Q I installed a 60-gigabyte Seagate USB backup drive on my Windows XP PC, but when I click "My Computer" in Windows Explorer, the PC doesn't seem to "find" the new drive. The instructions and CD that came with the drive are very vague about what to do. How do I connect to this new drive, and what's the procedure for backing up important files?
MAURI MICKELSON, NEW HOPE
A I suspect the drive hasn't been formatted, a process that allows the computer to recognize and use the drive as a storage device. Try the formatting instructions at www.ehow.com/how_4768949_external-hard-drive-windows-xp.html.
But be careful, because formatting wipes out everything on a disk. Be sure to format the external drive, which typically will be called drive E or F, and not the computer's internal hard drive, which is called C.
