Windows 7 - XP MCE/Window 7 LAN & Cable Connection

I just finished installing MCE on my secondary rig, but I'm having a problem getting either an internet connection or LAN connection between rigs.

My first priority is the internet connection. I think that it must see my cable connection, because in My Network, it shows 2 1394 connections (dual controllers) and they both indicate that they are connected, but IE is not able to connect anywhere. I've disabled the firewall, so that is not the problem...what is?

Not much info to go on, have you done the basics like checking the Device manager and its drivers listing?
Lights on where you plug in your Ethernet?
Lights on your switch (hub) when you connect?
What OS, hardware, etc?

Before you go sending me in circles, the OS is in the title of the post (XP MCE), the hardware is listed in my System Specs under **, there is no hardware problem involved. This appears to just be a matter of configuring the OS to use a cable connection properly.

Duke of Alinor,

You were closer to right than I thought. I did forget a basic...to install the chipset drivers. I had forgotten how arduous installing older versions of Windows is, and I had to clean the barnacles and rust off of my memory. Just running Windows Update seemed to take an eternity with ~100 updates to install, even after installing SP3.

The next step is to connect MCE with Windows 7 via the LAN, but I don't think that will be as easy as it was connecting with two installations if Windows 7. If someone would care to offer some enlightenment, before I go groping in the dark, I wouldnt complain at all.

1394 is firewire not ethernet. How do you have everything connected together?

Yes, since that post, I've disabled the 1394 controller in the Device Manager, thus the 2 1394 connections have disappeared, and now the Device Manager only shows the connection through my Nvidia network controller, which is going via ethernet outbound. The problem with the browsers is gone, but every time that I boot, I still get an alert about having two connections in the Device Manager, but since the connections now works, I haven't had the inclination to dig into the problem...unless someone can give me a clear answer?