Thanks chaps got both laptops working fine using the ethernet connections,the problem seems to be the desktop that is still using win98 and only has USB connections,it simply refuses to see the broadband modem,tried a dozen different ways of loading the software,it gets to the point of looking for the modem doesn't find it and thats all she wrote.
The other problen is one of the laptops is used betwixt home and work and from what she says the workplace only has A USB to connection to the internet.
The strange thing being the original they were using was Blueyonder Broadband after a bit of fannying about I got all three machines working fine using USB,they then shifted to BT Broadband and I got all three working fine again using the USB connections,they have now shifted back to Blueyonder and have been given a new broadband modem that none of the machines want to talk to via USB.
