Icon says Not Connected but I Am

I didn't know where to post this but I will start here. Please move to the appropriate forum if this is not the one. First off, thank you for your help. I just purchased a used hp mini and it is running Windows 7 starter. The icon says that I am not connected to the internet but in fact I am and can surf around with no problem. I just would like the icon to read correctly. It might be a small thing but an annoyance. Thank you in advance.

 

Which of the icons says you're not connected — the ethernet icon or the wireless icon?

 

The wireless icon. Forgot there was more than one.

 

If you have a wireless modem, open network connections by right clicking on one of the icons, select your wireless and go through the steps to connect to your wireless network.

 

Sorry for being dense but ....

When I view basic network information it shows my computers name a red X and then the internet grayed out (meaning I have no connection). When I click Connect to a network it shows that I am connected to my wireless connection at full strength and I can and do have access. It's just the icon and this part that says that I am not connected but I am.

 

I'm running XP Pro, but this may be the same for Win 7.

In Network connections, right click the wireless connection and select Properties. Uncheck "Notify me when this connection has limited or no connection" then click OK (see attached).

Hopefully, this will solve the nuisance.

 

I didn't see the Notify checkbox. Read that it had been discontinued for Windows 7 don't know if that's true or not. Here are the pictures of what I'm referring to. It is the one with the bars and the yellow star. Thanks for looking and any suggestions.

 

Greetings, fkbsar.

Looks to me like you may be picking up another wireless network in the area - probably a secure network that you can't connect to without a password (hence the "not connected to the internet" flag). To verify this can you take the machine to another location to see if your symptoms change?

If this is the case then you might try navigating to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Manage Wireless Networks, see if you can disable any extraneous networks there.

 

How do disable the incoming VPN?

 

I did do the control panel thing suggested by Caliban but to no avail. It still exists.

 

The only two connections available are the LAN and the Wifi. I didn't see anything that said VPN