Ok, here are annotated listings of the information I could get back.

First, before applying the workaround:

==>Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
==>(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.
==>
==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ipconfig /all
==>
==>Windows IP Configuration
==>
==>An internal error occurred: A device attached to the system is not functioning.
==>
==>Please contact Microsoft Product Support Services for further help.
==>
==>Additional information: Unknown media status code.
==>

After applying the workaround where I disabled the wired connection in
the device manager, and before I turned the vpn connection on.

Note: I couldn't find the "routing and remote access service" so I
couldn't try that workaround. However, this workaround worked.

==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ipconfig /all
==>
==>Windows IP Configuration
==>
==> Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : hdxpl1030
==> Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : amr.corp.intel.com
==> Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Peer-Peer
==> IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
==> WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
==> DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : amr.corp.intel.com
==> corp.intel.com
==> intel.com
==>
==>Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 5:
==>
==> Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
==> Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 11a/b/g Wireless LAN Mini PCI Adapte
==>r
==> Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-05-4E-51-16-9D
==> Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
==> Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : No
==> IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.105
==> Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
==> Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
==> DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
==> DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 66.189.0.29
==> 66.189.0.30
==> 66.189.0.5
==> Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, March 15, 2007 5:08:12 PM
==> Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, March 16, 2007 5:08:12 PM
==>
==>Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:
==>
==> Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
==> Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VPN Client Virtual Adapter
==> Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-C0-45-00-00-01
==> Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
==> Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : No
==> IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.0.0.0
==> Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.0.0.0
==> Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
==> DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
==>

Next, after I turned VPN on:
Note at this point, I still had no problem.

==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ipconfig /all
==>
==>Windows IP Configuration
==>
==> Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : hdxpl1030
==> Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : amr.corp.intel.com
==> Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Peer-Peer
==> IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
==> WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
==> DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : amr.corp.intel.com
==> hd.intel.com
==> corp.intel.com
==> intel.com
==>
==>Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 5:
==>
==> Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
==> Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 11a/b/g Wireless LAN Mini PCI Adapte
==>r
==> Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-05-4E-51-16-9D
==> Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
==> Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : No
==> IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.105
==> Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
==> Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
==> DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
==> DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 66.189.0.29
==> 66.189.0.30
==> 66.189.0.5
==> Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, March 15, 2007 5:08:12 PM
==> Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, March 16, 2007 5:08:12 PM
==>
==>Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:
==>
==> Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hd.intel.com
==> Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VPN Client Virtual Adapter
==> Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-C0-45-00-00-01
==> Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
==> Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : No
==> IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.127.52.101
==> Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.252.0
==> Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.127.52.101
==> DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.127.52.15
==> DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.127.1.11
==> 146.152.3.1
==> Primary WINS Server . . . . . . . : 143.182.250.105
==> Secondary WINS Server . . . . . . : 134.134.128.37
==> Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, March 15, 2007 5:11:49 PM
==> Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, March 14, 2008 5:11:49 PM
==>

Now, I took the laptop up to the office and put it in its docking
station and the connection "broke". Notice, how the ipconfig is now dead.

==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ipconfig /all
==>
==>Windows IP Configuration
==>
==>An internal error occurred: The handle is invalid.
==>
==>Please contact Microsoft Product Support Services for further help.
==>
==>Additional information: Unknown media status code.
==>

However, I'm not certain if this is an example of the problem, or
simply an artifact of going from undocked to docked. Therefore, I did
some more snooping. (Subsequent passage of time with no more
problems, suggest this is NOT the repetitive connection loss problem,
and in fact perhaps simply a docking issue.)

So, I looked at the devices, and now the wireless card was disabled
and the wired card was enabled. (I don't know how to capture that.)
I didn't do that. I presume something with docking caused it. I then
tried all the permutations of enabling and disabling the cards to see
if that would "fix" the problem, but to no avail.

==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ipconfig /all
==>
==>Windows IP Configuration
==>
==>An internal error occurred: The handle is invalid.
==>
==>Please contact Microsoft Product Support Services for further help.
==>
==>Additional information: Unknown media status code.
==>
==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ipconfig /all
==>
==>Windows IP Configuration
==>
==>An internal error occurred: The handle is invalid.
==>
==>Please contact Microsoft Product Support Services for further help.
==>
==>Additional information: Unknown media status code.
==>
==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ipconfig /all
==>
==>Windows IP Configuration
==>
==>An internal error occurred: The handle is invalid.
==>
==>Please contact Microsoft Product Support Services for further help.
==>
==>Additional information: Unknown media status code.
==>
==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ipconfig /all
==>
==>Windows IP Configuration
==>
==>An internal error occurred: The handle is invalid.
==>
==>Please contact Microsoft Product Support Services for further help.
==>
==>Additional information: Unknown media status code.
==>
==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ipconfig /all
==>
==>Windows IP Configuration
==>
==>An internal error occurred: The handle is invalid.
==>
==>Please contact Microsoft Product Support Services for further help.
==>
==>Additional information: Unknown media status code.
==>


I then reconnected VPN, and reread your posting. I don't surf or read
news or mail from my laptop. I only surf from my desktop. Thus, I
needed to fix the connection to see what other info to gather.

I saw you wanted to see the results of pinging a DNS server outside
the VPN connection. Note, these pings occurred after I fixed the VPN
connection.

==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ping 66.189.0.29
==>
==>Pinging 66.189.0.29 with 32 bytes of data:
==>
==>Request timed out.
==>Request timed out.
==>Request timed out.
==>Request timed out.
==>
==>Ping statistics for 66.189.0.29:
==> Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),
==>

As, you can see, I can't see anything outside the VPN network from the
laptop. I then tried one of the DNS servers within the VPN. That
worked, as I would have expected.

==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>ping 10.127.1.11
==>
==>Pinging 10.127.1.11 with 32 bytes of data:
==>
==>Reply from 10.127.1.11: bytes=32 time=42ms TTL=60
==>Reply from 10.127.1.11: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=60
==>Reply from 10.127.1.11: bytes=32 time=29ms TTL=60
==>Reply from 10.127.1.11: bytes=32 time=28ms TTL=60
==>
==>Ping statistics for 10.127.1.11:
==> Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
==>Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
==> Minimum = 28ms, Maximum = 42ms, Average = 33ms
==>
==>C:\Documents and Settings\cfclark>

I don't know if this provides any useful information to you. I hope
it does. I next have to figure out how to get the error logs off my
router....

Thanks,
-Chris