Disconnects from internet

[mike13]

A friend tells me she keeps getting disconnected from the internet, and then she has to re-connect. I am going over this weekend, and this is my plan. Make sure her Norton is up to date, and then run a full scan. Then do a scan at Housecalls. Run Ad-aware, and Spybot S&D to remove all spyware. Also to check for static on the phone line, as she has dialup. Are there any other obvious things that I should try if the above steps do not solve the problem ? She is running Windows 98 with IE6, and Outlook Express.

[Conan]

If it's dial-up, getting disconnected can be considered a normal event.

[mike13]

True Conan, but this just started two days ago.

[cash_site]

Unless you want to actually go to her house and spend time ;) a few more questions would be good to ask her...

Is computer acting slow, do you get weird pop-up messages or websites, is the internet browsing slow, does she have Idle-timeout settings enabled, does the ISP enforce ide-timeout, how long are the dial-up sessions usually 4hours...

then there could be actual telephone line problems, could call telco for line check...

Just some quick tips, as I know that debugging this stuff can be a hassle! :D goodluck.

[mike13]

Hi cash_site, I just received an e-mail from her. The computer won't even stay connected long enough to do that scan at Housecalls, and that only takes about 5 minutes or so. I just asked her again if she was able to update Norton and then do a full manual scan. No response yet. My gut feeling is either a virus, or spyware.

[rik]

Check the speed of her connection, and is it a local ISP or one of the biggies?

[mike13]

Hello rik, It is a local ISP in Penna. Don't know the speed of her connection . She hasen't answered my last few questions yet. After I am sure the computer is virus and spyware free, my next step is to have her call her ISP. Any other tips in the meantime ?

[rik]

Obviously if it's just started You have to check for recent changes, i.e. updates, downloads, etc. One of the best place to check for possible changes is in the System Restore Calendar. You can try a System Restore if it only began a couple of days ago, to undo any changes. If nothing comes from that try slowing the modem down to V34 and see if it stays connected longer. If it does then the phone company has changed something on the lines. Google up some "Line Quality" tests to run and see what the Signal to Noise Ratio is.

Well fellas, Have I missed anything? ;)

[FastGame]

Connections> Properties> General Tab> where it shows the Modem click "Configure" and where its says "Maximum Speed (bps)" set it to 57600 or 38400. If she has bad lines she's going to need the lower setting or it gets disconnected all the time.

That doesn't rule out virus or other problems...

[cash_site]

Check the phone number she is dialling... a Hijacker or dialler virus could change it or even the proxy server settings...

[mike13]

Conan, cash_site, rik, and FastGame- Thanks for your suggestions. I plan to make a house call and see if I can straighten out her computer. Will post back with the results.

[mike13]

Hello again, here are the results of my visit. Deleted the expired version of Norton, and installed AVG---found 17 infected files.
Installed Ad-Aware---found 155 items.
Installed Spybot S&D--- found another 45 items.
Installed Easy Cleaner--found 104 invalid registry items. I have a strong feeling that any or all of the above contributed her to problems. Cheers !

[cash_site]

Yep, it sure would... lucky you were able to clean the stuff without having to reformat... worse way to spend 2 days!!