ADSL connection dropping randomly

I have an Internet connection problem. My broadband connection randomly drops, and requires a reboot to reconnect. After it's dropped, the PC won't close down cleanly ? it hangs with a message ? Windows 98 is shutting down'.

Here are some more details:

I run Windows 98SE. The PC itself is by MESH, with a 900MHz processor & 128Mb of RAM. My ISP is BT Yahoo broadband. I connect via an Alcatel speedtouch 330 external modem. When the connection drops, both the green lights on the modem go out. The chipset on my motherboard is VIA Apollo KT133. I regularly run EZ Antivrus software, Lavasoft Ad-aware & Spybot ? search & destroy, none of which are showing anything significant ? no viruses & just a small collection of tracker type cookies. I regularly update all of this software. When I connect to the internet, then even without a browser open, if I monitor the status of the connection, I see data sent going up regularly at about 110 bytes per second or 1KBPS. Just prior to this problem arriving, I had my PC rebuilt because it was crashing randomly & with increasing frequency ? it's 4.5 years old. The guy who rebuilt it updated various drivers, including those for the chipset, to version 4.35 of VIA integrated 4 in 1 drivers. He also replaced an old CD ROM drive with a nice new LG super multi-DVD drive.

Here's what I've done so far:

Scanned Google groups for clues. The closest I've found is a problem like mine, but on XP, where randomly dropping the connection is caused by a virus (Blaster type, I think). I can find no viruses. Checked all the physical connections from the wall socket to the PC, including switching to use a different USB socket. Contacting the BT Yahoo helpline confirmed there was no problem with the line. However they did think it was caused by a motherboard problem. At this point I remembered the chipset upgrade & reset it back to the original version (VIA 4 in 1 V4.24). All of the above didn't seem to help. It was still crashing at anything from immediately after the connection was made up to a couple of hours. A friend lent me an identical Alcatel modem. When I connected this & rebooted, it went through its detection of new hardware routine, which surprised me. It also asked for the location of 3 files, so I found some on c:\\windows & directed it there. It now stays connected for up to 12 hours at a time. Coincidence?

I've now reached the extent of my limited technical knowledge. I'd be very grateful if anyone has any suggestions.

Reply to
Chris White
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regularly

caused

couple

I have the same problem on a windows xp and I'll be watching this thread with curiosity. My computer seems to drop the connection reliably when I watch a movie with media player classic (usually an avi). What happens then is that both the firewall and the connection icon in the tasktray freeze and I can't shut them down or disconnect from the net to reconnect, and I have to reboot, and more often than not, if not always, it doesn't shut down easily but hangs indefinitely at "saving your settings/shutting down" and I'd have to shut it down manually with the button. My ADSL modem is a usb one too.

Any idea what this could be?

Reply to
casioculture

There doesn't appear to be any reason for this thread to be on comp.security.ssh.

Reply to
Richard E. Silverman

Fail to see what this has to do with firewalls so far, but lets go on.

98SE MESH

ROFL! There's your first problem.

There's your second.

Not surprised. Friend of mine works for Alcatel on the exchange equipment. BT struck a good deal that the Alcatel modems are basically just the sweepings off the floor and total utter crap.

Get yourself a router, something from the DLINK range like a DSL504T and plug it into your PC's network card. Configure it and then forget it.

Now just what did that have to do with firewalls, ssh or computer security??

Reply to
Mike

comp.security.ssh.

If yr modem is a USB extrnl check the current it is drawing (Device Manager>USB controllers>USB root hub). I had this problem & resolved it by using a powered hub. Foxy

Reply to
Foxy

Mike a écrit :

No. The modem basically works. His problem is well known, it's a flaw in the VIA chipset. There are patches for the modem firmware to help with the VIA problem, and OP should also go to VIA website for possible driver patches that make things smoother...

Reply to
Ninho

I'm sure the modem does basically work. Doesn't change the fact that its still a pile of crap and that anyone who uses a DSL modem and a software firewall instead of a router should be put up against the wall and shot.

Or you could use a router and a network card and stop arsing about with patches, fixes and incompatabilities.

Reply to
Mike

Mike> I'm sure the modem does basically work. Doesn't change the fact Mike> that its still a pile of crap and that anyone who uses a DSL Mike> modem and a software firewall instead of a router should be put Mike> up against the wall and shot.

A router is a computer with multiple network interfaces running "software"

-- just like your putative "software firewall." It just comes in a smaller box. These days, in fact, your router is likely to be running Linux inside. Please explain how the shape of the box the device comes in makes it inherently better/safer/more secure/whatever you're claiming.

Reply to
Richard E. Silverman

  1. A router doesn't have dumb user with a keyboard connected directly to it who doesn't know what to block and what not to block.
  2. A router doesn't have dumb user with a keyboard connected directly to it who will blindly click on anything that looks like a dialog box.
  3. Its hard for a user to disable the firewall in a router under the instruction of a first line support bozo at their ISP.
  4. Its easy to uninstall/disable a software firewall when the user has full administrative rights. Show me the add/remove entry in Windows for a router please.....
  5. I've yet to see a NAT router crash and expose a system.
Reply to
Mike Moyse

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