Hi Les and
Is the broadband service provided through cable modem or STB?
If its via a cable modem you should not need to install anything other than the USB drivers although I would recommend ethernet for connection.
Not too sure about STB connections if thats what you have but would have thought that just wiping the hard drive and reinstalling would still only need the USB drivers loading.
Edit. Type winipcfg in the run menu and see what IP address it gives. Also just try browsing to check as you may already be connected.