need help getting on the internet

[compnoob1209]

i am not computer savvy AT ALL, so please bare with me.

i just got a laptop and i am trying to get on the internet (internet explorer). i plugged the ethernet cable into my verizon fios modem where it was labeled WAN (Wireless Area Network i believe?). then i clicked on the internet and it still doesnt connect, is there something that i am missing?

edit- when i go into configfree (connectivity doctor) it says "check communication device for Bridged settings as you may ned to disable the Bridge or reconfigure"

 

[The_Other_One]

WAN stands for Wide Area Network. In other words, the internet port

Go to start, run, type CMD, then type ipconfig /all. You should have something for the IP Address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS(at least one).

I'm not sure about your bridged connection. To view it(realize I'm using XP here, are you running Vista?), right click My Network Places and go to properties. I don't have any bridged connections here, but I'm pretty sure you can right click on them and "un-bridge" them... Hehe, I'm sure it uses a better term