Computer problem - network connections - LAN network cable unplugged...

[AAP]

What OS are you using?

Are you behind a firewall/router?

Windows XP Home


No firewall/router to my knowledge.

 

[AAP]

Does the machine lock up, or just the net connection?

Can you reset the net connection - like if your net is frozen, open up a command window and do an "ipconfig /release" and then a "ipconfig /renew" and then type "ping www.yahoo.com" to see what that says.

I'm curious if it is totally dead or just kicking out for some reason.

I will visit hotmail again when I download pest patrol and post the results.

If it locks up again.. I will try this and post the results.

 

[AAP]

Does the machine lock up, or just the net connection?

Can you reset the net connection - like if your net is frozen, open up a command window and do an "ipconfig /release" and then a "ipconfig /renew" and then type "ping www.yahoo.com" to see what that says.

I'm curious if it is totally dead or just kicking out for some reason.

Ok... it locked up again... I did this and this is the results :

ipconfig /release = No operation can be performed by Local Area Network while it has it's media disconnected.

ipconfig /renew = same error

ping www.yahoo.com = ping request could not find host www.yahoo.com please check name and try again.

 

[Dial_tone]

Windows XP Home


No firewall/router to my knowledge.

You really should get something like a Linksys DSL/cable router. It might fix this problem and it's inifinitely safer anyway. The basic single-port model should be less than $75 dollars.

 

[NoDaddyNo]

Ok... it locked up again... I did this and this is the results :

ipconfig /release = No operation can be performed by Local Area Network while it has it's media disconnected.

ipconfig /renew = same error

ping www.yahoo.com = ping request could not find host www.yahoo.com please check name and try again.

That is very odd.
As far as the machine is concerned, you aren't connected to the net - it is aware that it has a network card, but sees nothing in there in terms of media.

What is very weird is that sounds like a hardware issue, like a faulty cable or jack on the card - but were that the case, it wouldn't matter what browser you used.

My first guess is that it would be a virus or trojan, but it wouldn't make sense for those to sever your net connection because then they could not spread any further.

Were it just a hardware issue, it also wouldn't likely come and go over time - it would likely be due to jiggling the cable or something.

That said, if there is a chip on the card that is overheating (or some component nearby giving off heat), then it would be a time based thing - basically until enough heat built up until it gave out due to stress.

But again, this would happen regardless of the browser used.

How is it that you are on the net? You have to restart the machine?
That too is bizarre and would point to a software issue such as a virus...

 

[Dial_tone]

See if there's a newer (or older) driver for the network card.

 

[Dial_tone]

It could be that Hellsouth customer/hacker tried to DoS those sites and they responded by blocking your public IP subnet.....a long shot though.

 

[AAP]

That is very odd.
As far as the machine is concerned, you aren't connected to the net - it is aware that it has a network card, but sees nothing in there in terms of media.

What is very weird is that sounds like a hardware issue, like a faulty cable or jack on the card - but were that the case, it wouldn't matter what browser you used.

My first guess is that it would be a virus or trojan, but it wouldn't make sense for those to sever your net connection because then they could not spread any further.

Were it just a hardware issue, it also wouldn't likely come and go over time - it would likely be due to jiggling the cable or something.

That said, if there is a chip on the card that is overheating (or some component nearby giving off heat), then it would be a time based thing - basically until enough heat built up until it gave out due to stress.

But again, this would happen regardless of the browser used.

How is it that you are on the net? You have to restart the machine?
That too is bizarre and would point to a software issue such as a virus...

Ok... I can use the net as LONG as I do not visit some of those sites that shut me down. Hotmail, ajc.com, sunsentinel.com, delta.com, etc... but when I visit those sites, within 3 seconds (no exaggerating), I am shut off the net. I have to power off and power back on all over again.

If I don't visit those sites, I can leave the machine running all week long with no shut down and NEVER lose the connection.

Now obviously the common sense solution would be to never visit those sites... but I need delta.com for all the travel I do with my company. I need hotmail for my email, I like the news site for reading... and I like kazaa for looking for new songs...

This has been going on for a long time. If you search under my name.. you will I posted this in the past and couldn't fix it then. I was hoping that someone knew something now.

 

[NoDaddyNo]

It could be that Hellsouth customer/hacker tried to DoS those sites and they responded by blocking your public IP subnet.....a long shot though.

That is very likely or at least very possible - BUT that wouldn't kill his network connection - it would just prevent him from going to that site.

 

[AAP]

Ok... how does this sound?

I am planning on buying an external hard drive (for back up purposes and for carrying all my personal stuff between my home office and the offices I travel too....)

Let's say I make a copy of everything on this computer to the external hard drive. Using Ghost or whatever you guys say is the best/easiest way to do it.

Then I wipe this hard drive completely clean and re-install XP all over again.

I would open the computer and make sure all the things were plugged in securely.

I would reinstall my bellsouth.net DSL connection. (Or could I just copy it from the external hard drive and have it work?)

I would then copy all the updates from Microsoft's update website to the computer.

Hopefully this clean install would do it so everything would run smoothly.

So... question... what do you think of this idea? Also, if I saved my entire hard drive to the external, could I just copy parts of it over - like my bellsouth connections and such (printer drivers, etc..) or would I have to reinstall it completely again.