I can't connect to my internet HALP!?

I have Windows XP Home edition with an Asus A8N premium motherboard, and two external NET slots, one is a Marvell Yukon 88e8001/8003/8010 the other is an NVIDIA nForce Networking controller. I also use a Cable that goes into the wall out of a LAN modem for my internet that goes out to a phone jack into the back of my computer. Some time ago my operating system was corrupted by a virus so I had to reinstall, and of coarse due to some hardware neglect there was a little accidente that left me with two OS one that functions just fine and the other that didn't get past the 14k partition and has no ryme or reason for being there. When I reinstalled all of the drives I was having some trouble downloading anything with NVIDIA firewall on cause it broke things into bits some of which wouldn't make it through, so I tried both turning off the firewall and removing it finally cause both times my internet wouldn't seem to even activate without the firewall operational, NVIDIA scam I know. Anyhoot, I tried making use of the other one too, the Marvell Yukon, but even though my Network connections act like its completely operational, the internet will not function at all Not with Firefox AVG Explorer or any of my games. These programs can't read the connection like it exists. So I reinstalled the NVIDIA internet twice once without the firewall, didn't work, and once with the firewall still didn't work, now no matter what drive I install or not even when I update it, it acts like the internet is connected in the network manager, but nothing responds elsewhere, its like its simply off. If it were a hardware problem then I would have seen it right away when I checked over the ped few weeks to see. I want to fix this the way it is because I have only so many times I can activate my Windows XP before the OS that came with the computer is virtually useless. My friend gave it to me and it was awesome now it is crap because I'm not a super programmer. Why is it that to own a computer people have to literally ave six degrees in networking and computer programming before they can even play an mmo for a month. :P