Internet connection issue

Aidanmc

I have resurrected an old laptop......i run the recovery software in it to restore back to factory settings. Its a Compaq Presario 2100 with windows xp
I have connected it to the router via cable
It seems to be connected to internet but fails to load any webpages! When i type IP address into browser address bar it shows the device connected to ethernet.
It also seem to be picking up the wifi network also but asks for a WEP network key to connect, which i don't know where to find.
Probably something simple is the issue, can anyone help please?

Neil_Jones

Two most probable causes:

1) Machine needs updating to Service Pack 3 as a minimum (pre SP2 won't work with modern wifi standards)

2) Internet Explorer needs updating to version 8. IE6 doesn't load any pages and in any event is terribly out of date and insecure.

SP3 available here:
https://superuser.com/a/1126579

Ie 8 here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/internet-explorer-8-details.aspx

Aidanmc

Neil_Jones wrote: »

Two most probable causes:

1) Machine needs updating to Service Pack 3 as a minimum (pre SP2 won't work with modern wifi standards)

2) Internet Explorer needs updating to version 8. IE6 doesn't load any pages and in any event is terribly out of date and insecure.

SP3 available here:
https://superuser.com/a/1126579

Ie 8 here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/internet-explorer-8-details.aspx

Thanks Neil Jones,
Yes.....its only SP1 installed!
So can i just download these updates to a usb and install that way?
Thanks

Neil_Jones

Yes. Note that XP Sp1 doesn't support USB 2 speeds if IIRC so it will probably take a while to do the update.

Also remember to do IE8 AFTER you've done Sp3, otherwise it won't work.

Aidanmc

Neil_Jones wrote: »

Yes. Note that XP Sp1 doesn't support USB 2 speeds if IIRC so it will probably take a while to do the update.

Also remember to do IE8 AFTER you've done Sp3, otherwise it won't work.

Doing the SP3 now.
Could i download another browser like chrome to a usb and install that on the old laptop or just stick with upgrade to IE8?
Thanks

EveryWhere

https://appuals.com/the-5-best-browsers-for-windows-xp/

Aidanmc

The machine wouldn't install the SP3, at the end of trying to install the laptop went into a cycle of crashing and restarting, showing a blue screen with text sometimes. I actually think the hard drive is banjaxed! Thanks for all replies.

Neil_Jones

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/document/c01457284 should resolve the issue and then allow an SP3 upgrade.

With regards to the browser, note that you can use Chrome, Firefox or whatever but they will be really old versions that won't update anymore.