Laptop stuck on "Identifying" network

I've got a Dell Studio laptop running Windows 7 that I'm trying to get onto a wireless network with a Quest DSL ("Actiontec") modem. I can see and "connect" to the network fine, but in the Network and Sharing Center, it's stuck "Identifying" the network, so I can't get online.

My NIC is a Dell wireless 1397 WLAN Mini-card, showing no errors in device manager.

My IPv4 is set to obtain IP address and DNS server address automatically.
My TCP/IPv6 is set to obtain IPv6 address and DNS server address automatically.

When I run an ipconfig /all, my:

IPv6 address is fe80::c8a5:4afb:22b7:d165%16
IPv4 address is 169.254.209.101
Default gateway is blank
DNS suffix is blank

The modem does NOT have MAC address filtering on.

The modem has all green lights and CAN access the internet with another desktop, which is how I'm posting this.

Please help! Thanks!

 

I haven't used DHCP on Windows 7 yet but i think I'm glad that I don't, I've seen a few issues others have had with it.

Without at a gateway, your computer doesn't know where on the network to look for the internet. Without DNS servers, it can't resolve web addresses.

Is it an option for you to use a static IP for the Windows 7 computer?

You know that the settings in your other computer work. I would go to a command prompt, type in "ipconfig /all" (no quotes) and copy the numbers. Pick an IP for the Windows 7 computer that is outside the DHCP range. Now enter it into the Windows 7 computer and all the other numbers the same as the computer that works.

 

Never mind. I wound up doing an "upgrade" windows reinstall which cleared it up. Thanks!