janda5 0 Junior Poster in Training

I have a big problem that I hope someone can help me with. I recently purchased a Compaq Presario desktop with Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed. All was working well until this morning. I turned on my computer to find only a white screen with a small wheel turning round and round and the words "DETECTING PROXY SETTINGS." Anybody know what this means? I can't get past this to even connect. Any suggestions? Thank you.

janda5