HELP!! WiFi for idiots

I live in the boonies, to dial up is all that has been available.

Now I am sitting in a motel that has "Free High Speed Internet", and I got my brand new rented Compaq Notebook PC, and I have no idea to to access the "high speed internet".

There are no extras on the laptop, itself. there are a bunch of wires, some big fat metal thing hanging under the desk. Do you think I can access it, or am I lacking some piece of the puzzle. when I tried to connect, my computer said that there was no "recognized router" detected.

Thanks in advance. No matter what, I still can connect via NetZero dial-up, but I was so excited that I might actually experience high speed for the first time.

Gold.

 

First off, what OS? And also what MarkT said.

 

OS, Windows XP or Vista, not sure.

There is a WIFI button and a WiFi "Helper"

 

Is it wifi internet? High speed does not always equal wireless. They may only have a wired connection available.
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/849180/2/istockphoto_849180_ethernet_connector.jpg
It looks like this.

 

The motel says it has wireless.

Just Playin...would that connection have come with my laptop, or would it be part of the "hardware" under the desk?

 

It would be somewhere on or near the desk.