BT Infinity installation CD cannot connect to BT H...

Question

I finally got my Windows XP activated on my laptop after finding my lost product key code. Up until now, I've been using Ubuntu 10 (Linux). So I inserted my BT Infinity "Is your broadband light blue?" - I clicked 'Yes'. Then it searched for 'available connections'  - it came up with "You can connect to your hub using wireless or a wired ethernet connection, unfortunately we can't detect EITHER of these connection types on your computer"
I rang the BT help desk who got me to 'cmd - ping'. That was no good either.
The thing is - BT Infinity WIFI works perfectly well with the Ubuntu operating system - why not with Windows XP?
Oh - and Windows XP works perfectly on the (different) laptop I'm using now.
I don't want to return to Ubuntu as I prefer Windows.

Answer 1

To check its turned on it will be either a switch on the laptop or a key combination such as FnF3 or FnF9.
To check that your Network drivers are installed and that the wireless card and Ethernet controller are installed and working :
Go to START > Control Panel >  Device Manager > Network Adaptors. Click on this and it will open and show you what is installed and that the correct drivers are installed. There should be no yellow exclamation marks.
Once you have done that report back if there are any problems.
I would also uninstall the BT Helpdesk. It usually does everything except help.  To uninstall it follow this guide
Run the “Uninstall BT Broadband Desktop Help” option from the start menu.
1. Follow the onscreen wizard through to completion.
Check the task manager (ctrl alt del -> task manager) and kill any of the following:
BTHelpNotifer.exe
McciTrayApp.exe
McciServiceHost.exe
If you see McciCMService.exe, ‘stop’ this in Services (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services)
Open the Registry (Start -> Run -> Type “Regedit”) and delete the following directories:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Motive
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Motive
Clear the Internet Explorer Cache and Cookies (Within IE -> Internet Options -> Delete…)
Delete any leftover Program Folders from Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E):
Windows XP
C:\Program Files\BT Broadband Desktop Help
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Motive
C:\ProgramData\Motive
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Roaming\Motive
Restart PC