I’ve just spent the evening persuading my laptop to connect to the net via the internal modem. After much swearing and reference to redundant technology, I’ve found the cause of the problem to be a new cable I purchased in Dixons. guh.
Thanks to Dad driving a 20 mile round trip to deliver a cable adapter, I should now be able to hook up whilst I’m in the States. If not, then it’ll be quiet here for the next week.
Thanks also to Marcia for being logical and reminding me to check the simple things.