Permanently 'Acquiring Network Address'

I have a simple home network with two computers one desktop computer and one laptop; and a Netgear DG834G router/modem. The laptop is having a Netgear USB adapter WG111.

The laptop is connected to the network with 'excellent' strength. However it won't connect to the internet and the icons on the taskbar say that the laptop is permanently "Acquiring Network Address." I have checked the settings and it is configured to 'Acquire IP Address Automatically.'

Everything was working perfectly until a few days ago. I uninstalled and reinstalled the adapter drivers but still the same issue.

In Device Manager, disable any network connections except for the
wireless (specifically the Ethernet nic).

Power down everything: modem, router, computers. Wait one or two
minutes, then power up the modem. When the lights stabilize, start the
router, then the computers.

If you still do not have a connection, then Google for winsockxpfix.exe on another computer. Download the file and run it on the laptop to repair a corrupt TCP/IP stack.

I was having this problem before. After spending days trying for a solution, finally I got the solution. I did a system restore to a date before we went. It really worked like a charm.