Haphazard internet connectivity!!!

O

Old Man

I run XP on a Maxtor 250g HD, with Roadrunner as my IP.
I keep Norton's SystemWorks updated, as well as Ad-Aware.

My son states this is a problem with a dll, but it may be a
combination of software and IP.

I first had a problem after downloading an occasional multimedia file
from a newsgroup. If I waited a short while after a download was
complete and attempted any type of connection, it failed. I got
"attempting to connect to server, attempt 1 of 21", etc, or simply
"network connection failed" on OE or IE. The original download was
fine, not cut short. Now when I boot into XP if I let it sit idle
for an hour I have no connectivity. Rebooting alone does not
restore connectivity. Cutting and restoring power to my cable
modem alone does not work. After exhaustive trial and error I find
only one process restores connectivity, until the next time I pause
access for a while. I must unplug my cable modem, turn off my PC,
turn off the POWER to my PC, plug the power back into the cable modem
and let it fully reset, THEN power up my PC and turn it back on.

This makes me thing the IP has locked me out, and I have to make the
IP assign a new address to the modem, which it might not otherwise do
if my PC remains on or otherwise powered up.

This thought was reinforced when I started to get disconnected while
downloading, with a warning that "this server does not allow more than
3 connections at a time". Knowing I had only deliberately open I ran
Ad-Aware and often found "data mining" cookies incurred by the
daughter's browsing habits. No viruses found. Norton's Win Doctor
was also clear of anomalies. I suspected the data mining programs
were linking in the background to the server and creating too many
connections, but some articles suggest this does not occur. Even
when clear of spyware I still cannot stay connected for long after
pausing. I find no clear references to this connectivity problem in
other threads.

Just as a note: Disconnecting my USB2 Fast Ethernet Adapter from
between the PC and the router is not enough to allow the connection to
restore when powering down and up the cable modem. This make me
think the problem is inherent with the PC, not the IP.

Every day, every connection, for the past 2 months.

Can a few people give me some ideas what this is or may be caused by?

Out of clear solutions.
 
M

Marvin

I've found thru personal experience that if I delete Norton internet
security all those type of troubles seem to vanish instantly!
 
O

Old Man

Thanks, but... I have Norton SystemWorks 2005 Premiere, which only
repairs problems and monitors for viruses. This package does not
include Norton Internet Security which is a separately available
stand-alone program. I have strongly considered adding Internet
Security, just in case, but since I do not have any such active
controls running it cannot be part of my tenacious problem. Thanks
again. It was a good idea. Still looking!
 

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