Why am I so blessed?

Okay... so the computer is back. It works bee-you-tifully. Never crashes, fast as hell. It's great. All the documents and music are there. Huzzah.

Now comes the time to get a high-speed connection. I register for one through our cable provider, and I get a set-up packet in the mail. Fine. I hook up all the cords, plug everything in, restart the computer, get a signal through the modem, and start the installation/registration process.

And it all comes crashing down around me. What starts as a simple, "oh, the installation program doesn't recognize the network adapter," turns into an entire evening. I spend a couple hours trying to get the installation program to realize, that yes, there is a network adapter. It's on the motherboard, and it's connected to the Internet. No, it's not, says the program. Yes, it is, you ornery sumbitch, I think at it as I try do eat dinner.

Eventually, I call the company's help line. After 30-45 minutes, we've tried everything. Everything. Not only did I do everything right, but the computer got online to download an updated installation program (no help), has an IP address, and was pinging with the tech's computer... nothing. Program still says, nope, can't find it.

By the time this is all done, the night is completely shot. Thankfully, the tech was uber-helpful, and wrote up an order for manual registration. In other words, sometime in the next day or three, our Internet connection will let us past the company's "you need to register" page.

Sigh...