I've been having a number of problems with my WinXP laptop (for example,
desktop icons lose their filenames, and I can't do anything but reboot--at
which point everything is fine again for a while). The latest thing that
happened is that I lost my wireless connection. I've been suspecting
malware, although Avira AntiVir, Malwarebytes, and SuperAntiSpyware report
no problems. Tonight I discovered that I can get onto the internet by
plugging the laptop directly into the wireless router.

Does this sound like a possible hardware issue?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne