No Internet Access - pretend you're explaining to your mom

Hey forum. Total newb. Here's my situation.

Visiting my parents. All three of us have lap tops (mine a Lenovo, my dad's a Dell and my mom's an HP). My Dad and I are both running Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit, think my mother is running Vista.

So, three different computers all having the same problem.

When trying to connect to the home wireless network, the network bar shows a connection, but has a yellow triangle with an exclamation point in the middle. When I right click it says I am connected with good strength, but have no internet access. Strangely, this happens on all three computers. Even stranger, my internet has been working OK for a couple of days, but the other two computers have been totally off and on. Utterly random when the notification goes away. Seems that every time the screen lid is closed and opened back up the notification comes back and there is no access.

I think it is a problem with DNS? Not that I have any idea what that means. Why is the same issue happening on three different computers, all different brands? Obviously something is up, but this only started happening within the last 2 weeks, when it previously worked without a single hiccup for 2 years.

Is my router just shot? I've reset it a number of times, but that does nothing to resolve the issue. My computer did this once at home, where I live with three friends, who all have Macs, and their AirPort never had any connection problems ever. Is it Lenovo that sucks? Is the presence of my computer breaking down my parents' computers?

If you ask me to provide you anything you're going to have to give me a step by step on how to look up whatever information that might be (basically what do I press and type after I hit the start button at the bottom left). I am a computer retard, but I can follow instructions exactly.

If this is a permanent problem then it sounds like your security key is incorrect.

When you connect to a wireless network for the first time it asks for a key, this key is stored by windows so it never asks you again. If someone changes the key on the router then you end up being able to connect but you will have no internet access.

Connect with a cable and see if that works. If it does then check the router config and find out what the key is or change it something else and save it.

You then have to clear everyone wireless profile on each pc so when you connect it doesn't use the stored key.

Right click your wireless icon and choose network and sharing. Click manage wireless networks and delete your network completely. next time you connect to it it will ask for the new key and should work.

But by the looks of it your saying that it does work ok occasionally....I doubt it will ever be possible for you to find out exactly what's going on and you will have to try and figure it out yourself using a process of elimination. If it is as random as you say then good luck with that.

Keep one laptop off the wireless for a couple of days and see how it goes, do the same with the other two separately to try and figure out if one of the laptops is affecting the rest. It's still not definitive but it might shed some light on the problem.

Or just buy another router and see if that helps.

It could be something else entirely, wireless signals are fairly susceptible to outside interference.

how do you have yours set as home group and your parents have theirs as work. at home im on home group, when i go to my sis and wifi there, i set it for work. setting it public says im connected with no internet access. public access is like starbucks, mcdonalds, your local library, air port or any other place that offers free wifi.