T
Turner Morgan
All,
I am using Windows XP Pro SP2 on a Gateway 700XL. Comcast Cable is the ISP
with an "always on" connection requiring no password or dialup. Zone Alarm
for a firewall; I have checked several times and the Microsoft firewall is
*not* enabled. Netgear wireless router. The main computer is plugged into
the router via wire using the NIC built into the computer. My Gateway 300S
is in the hamshack connected to the wireless router via Netgear PCI card;
the Gateway 200X notebook is using a Netgear PCMCIA card. All the wireless
stuff is working just fine. Even my Dell Axim X50v can access the internet
via the router.
Here comes the problem: I boot the main computer and log on (my wife and I
have separate accounts on that computer, but neither is passworded) and do
whatever. I get up and go away for a while, staying logged on, I don't
really keep track of the number of minutes this takes to happen, but I sit
down to the computer later and attempt to access the internet via IE or
check email with Outlook and get a response that I am not connected, do I
want to work offline. I have learned the fix for this is just log off and
back on, no reboot of the computer is necessary.
This began happening *either* after the installation of SP2 *or* the
installation of the Netgear router. Before the Netgear, I had been using a
Linksys wireless (also before SP2) and never had this problem.
The Netgear people pointed me to a setting in the router set-up that is not
used for always-on ISPs but only for dial-up accounts. There is a timer in
there to kill a dial-up account after X minutes of inactivity; setting this
to zero essentially disables it. But, as I said, it does not apply for
always-on connections. I changed it anyway and it had no effect. I have
searched through the various router settings and can find nothing about idle
timeouts or timeouts. The DHCP leases are always set for 72 hours or
greater.
The other two computers apparently do not suffer from this automatic
disconnect. I can leave the machine in the hamshack turned on all day, go
in and check email on that account and the computer is still connected.
Does anyone have any idea what is going on? This is getting a bit
bothersome, having to log off and on just to regain access to the internet.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I apologize if this topic has
been covered before; if so, just point me in the direction of the solution.
Regards,
Turner
I am using Windows XP Pro SP2 on a Gateway 700XL. Comcast Cable is the ISP
with an "always on" connection requiring no password or dialup. Zone Alarm
for a firewall; I have checked several times and the Microsoft firewall is
*not* enabled. Netgear wireless router. The main computer is plugged into
the router via wire using the NIC built into the computer. My Gateway 300S
is in the hamshack connected to the wireless router via Netgear PCI card;
the Gateway 200X notebook is using a Netgear PCMCIA card. All the wireless
stuff is working just fine. Even my Dell Axim X50v can access the internet
via the router.
Here comes the problem: I boot the main computer and log on (my wife and I
have separate accounts on that computer, but neither is passworded) and do
whatever. I get up and go away for a while, staying logged on, I don't
really keep track of the number of minutes this takes to happen, but I sit
down to the computer later and attempt to access the internet via IE or
check email with Outlook and get a response that I am not connected, do I
want to work offline. I have learned the fix for this is just log off and
back on, no reboot of the computer is necessary.
This began happening *either* after the installation of SP2 *or* the
installation of the Netgear router. Before the Netgear, I had been using a
Linksys wireless (also before SP2) and never had this problem.
The Netgear people pointed me to a setting in the router set-up that is not
used for always-on ISPs but only for dial-up accounts. There is a timer in
there to kill a dial-up account after X minutes of inactivity; setting this
to zero essentially disables it. But, as I said, it does not apply for
always-on connections. I changed it anyway and it had no effect. I have
searched through the various router settings and can find nothing about idle
timeouts or timeouts. The DHCP leases are always set for 72 hours or
greater.
The other two computers apparently do not suffer from this automatic
disconnect. I can leave the machine in the hamshack turned on all day, go
in and check email on that account and the computer is still connected.
Does anyone have any idea what is going on? This is getting a bit
bothersome, having to log off and on just to regain access to the internet.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I apologize if this topic has
been covered before; if so, just point me in the direction of the solution.
Regards,
Turner