Reconciling with a computer

A friend gave me a brand new computer because she had too many.  I was a happy camper, to be sure!  It was connected smartly, was a tiny bit slow, but much faster than visiting everyone on foot to send a message.  This morning, it just wouldn't cooperate...AT ALL.  I have a DSL, Internet Modum, whatever connection whose wire was connected.  The screen popped out at me:  "Dial up connection can't be executed!" WHAT IS THAT?????????????????????????  I jumped out of my chair, rationally, yeah, right, pulled out wires from places that I never remembered, and raced to the window with the computer "tower"/"box".  Priscilla, my cat,  (shhhhh, she thinks that she is a little girl...loves paper dolls and quiche) threw a body block (whoever knew that she was a computer sympathizer?) and prohibited me from getting to that window!  Oh, how ungraceful I looked (shhhhhhhhhh! Don't tell Peter, my agent, he'll yell at me...but, his charm, or lack thereof is another story).   So, after I gathered what few wits I had left, I placed the computer, semi - near the door to go to the trash or to my son's for an overhaul, whichever came first!  I used a friend's laptop for the day (he left it here to scan pictures for a 50th Anniversary at out local VFW (yep, you got it, I'm the historian of the Ladies Auxiliary).  At about 6:30 ish pm, he phoned and said he was picking up his laptop to pay bills (that is like talking a totally foreign tongue to me...just ask those snappy bill collectors).  I packed up his trusty, working on either DSL or wireless Toshiba with a smile...(no, not really a big smile, more or less a grimmace).   I gave this baby just one more try (after I ate left-over Lasagna and a few glasses of wine)...voila!!!! It works!!!  So, I guess Best Buy needs me on the "Geek Squad"!!!