Need HELP Connecting new Laptop to a wired modem

Question

Purchased a new HP Pavillion laptop with both ethernet and wireless capabilities-Win 7. Currently have only an old Westell E90-610015-06 modem.  Has one wired port to attach a pc.  Was/am using an old IBM wired Thinkpads using XP. Work fine, but slow.
  Decided to come into the modern world.  New laptop connects to the wired lan, can ping the ethernet card, the modem and yahoo.com. When entering most web addresses. get no display of the web page back to the display.  Took PC to another Verizon acct and get same failure on a different Westell model of modem/router.   
Laptop works fine at Staples and a friends house using cable network PTD. Can access all web sites. 
Have spent at least 25 hrs online with various Verizon of India support levels, trying all settings and tests on the HP and Westell.
They blame the Laptop, which I have reloaded twice to factory settings.  They Refuse to send a current modem to eliminate that possibility.    Spoke with yet another new PC purchaser, he spent 2.5 hrs on the phone getting his to work. So not unique problems???
Any help or direction I can use on my next 'trip' to India would be greatly appreciated!      
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Answer 1

09-01-2011 09:56 PM
New Westell 6100 arrived next day as promised.  Modern revision!
As a precaution,  since we had played with and checked every setting we could think of,  I decided to reload the laptop back to factory settings, and set back up again to ensure we were back to stock settings where it had worked at other sites.
After the reload,  I checked to see if the laptop acted the same before swapping out the modem,(for the 4th time)  and it did!  Didn't Work. Got the LAN connected msg, but would not pass internet data in both directions.
I made sure I followed the new modem setup instructions word for word. 
Disconnecting old modem and installed the new one.  Except,  I DID NOT use the new ethernet cable from the modem to the laptop nor did I replace the phone line (rj11 ends) from the phone jack.  Since I was sure both were good as they worked on the OLD IBM laptop.
Modem powered up and after a bit, got the correct indicator lites per instructions.  At the point the instructions said open the browser and the Verizon Activation screen would come up,  it didn't, instead got a 404 error!  After closing and opening IE a few times with the same 404 error,  I decided to try entering Verizon.com and low and behold, the activation screen came up and was sucessfully completed.  
After completion, It still didn't work.  I clicked around the network settings here and there for a bit, did a POR to the laptop, .......them NOTICED the Internet lite had turned red on the modem.   When it didn't go green after a bit....I powered off the modem,  waited about 30 seconds, powered back up and MY GOD....IT WORKS!   
Loaded Google Chrome so I have another browser to compare with if future problems,  and will probably add FireFox to the mix.  Went out to EBAY, AOL, GOOGLE NEWs sites,  got info back sucessfully......   Connected the printer and Win7 went out and brought back the drivers.  Left the in-laws to familiarize themselves with Win 7 and ensure any other sites the use work.
Will head back later to install Office and Virus protection and and MSN updates
If it wasn't the modem, getting a new one forced a reactivation thru Verizon setup and settings being reset, that allowed the new HP Laptop to be recognized and work???.
Special thanks to Smith6612 for working me through various attempts to repair and helping me keep my sanity.
Verizon phone helpdesk needs figure out a way so that each time you call on the same problem, you are not starting back at square 1 with level 1 support.  After a given time or # of calls, there should be auto escalation to the next level of support.  After all, this process stared Aug 4th.   If I hadn't been able to see this laptop work at 2 other non Verizon locations, Level 1 would have had me returning this laptop to the MFG 4 times!!!!!
Thanks again.