Windows 7: Wireless Network Problem

I'm new to networking, so this may be something simple, but beyond my limited experience

I have two computers, a Dell XPS 9000 with Windows 7 Ultimate 64, and an older Gateway with Windows XP Home SP3. I have a Netgear wireless router physically connected to the Win 7 system, and a Cisco USB wireless network adapter on the XP system. The Win 7 system is having no problems. But when I boot (or reboot) the XP system, I get the following sequence of events.

The system boots, and what I will call a wireless signal strength icon (a stairstep of 4 green bars) appears in the system tray. But then the connection icon (the little monitor icon) appears with a red X. If I hover over the icon, it says there is no connection. If I right click the icon, one of the options is REPAIR. When I choose that, I get a box that says, in sequence, the following items

Diabling wireless network adapter (I then get a red X on the signal strength icon as well as the connection icon)

Enabling wireless network adapter

Connecting to network

Refreshing IP Address

Then, I get (too quickly to copy them down) about 4 or 5 messages that involve clearing a cache, and some other similar messages)

Then I get a box that says the connection has been repaired, and indeed, I now have both the signal strength icon back with 4 green bars, and the connection icon back without its red X. And I can then access the internet, or print to printers on the Win 7 machine without a problem.

But if I reboot the system, I get the same situation, and have to go through the same REPAIR option to get the connection working.

Anyone have any idea what the problem is, or how I can get it to be operational upon booting without having to do the REPAIR procedure every time?

I suspect the same IP is being provided by the netgear, and the Cisco USB. I would try assigning the IP's manually to see if that resolves it.

You can do the same thing as the repair by simply typing ipconfig /flushdns, then ipconfig /renew.

Let us know if you need help
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Ken

Ken--

Thanks for the input. I just came back from a dental appointment, and booted up both computers, and this time, the connection icon behaved normally. So for the moment, at least, the problem has disappeared. However, should it return (my computer problems never seem to stay fixed for long), how would I go about manually assigning an IP, and how would I find out what IPs to assign?