Hi there Liz,
I know this thread is over a month old so you probably already have this figured out, but...
The description of the problem that you gave, sounds like Real Player's installation. If that was a Real Player installation that you were describing then the solution that was given would be right (to check your firewall settings and add an exception to allow Real Player to access the internet).
Otherwise, if you wanted to use Real Alternative it is a free utility and you can get it here:
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/video_players/real_alternative.cfmPersonally, I prefer Real Alternative.