Random Broadband Disconnects

[bjiceman]

Recently I have been getting intermittent disconnects from my broadband connection about every 30 minutes or so. It will disconnect for a few second, minutes, or indefinitely (until I power cycle). I have no router and I turned off all of my protection (firewall, etc.) and it still fails. I have run all spyware and virus searches. Worked with my ISP and did all the standard stuff, power cycle, ipconfig renew, etc. Still no progress. Short of doing a system wipe, any suggestions?

 

[Tenet]

Hello bjiceman,

Here's some basic suggestions:

Uninstall ethernet adapter, reboot, let adapter reinstall.

Check the website of your pc manufacturer or motherboard manufacturer and make sure you have the latest drivers and updates.

Check Windows Update and scan for updates.

Try the System Restore feature of Windows XP and choose a date before the problem started.

Buy and install NIC card for $5 - $10.

 

[Narse]

Possible bad broadband modem.

 

[Atheus]

Check cables including ethernet, phone, and modem power.

 

[Tenet]

Originally posted by: Narse
Possible bad broadband modem.

If the ISP did their job correctly while the OP was on the phone with them, they did a diagnostic which checks communication between ISP & modem. They get a measurement of the signal levels indicating if the connection is in danger of going down, even if it is currently up. If the signals are out of spec, further tests should be done by them and a service call may be warranted.

Having said all that, I'm glad you brought it up because we can't assume the ISP did their job. The good news is if the line is going down (whether caused by the modem or problem on the line) this would be evident by the lights on the modem.

So OP, next time your connection goes down, look at your modem. Do most of the lights go off and one of them starts blinking until eventually they all light up again? (Which is when the connection is reestablished) If thats whats happening, the problem is almost certainly the ISP responsibility. The exception would be if you extended the cable or put a splitter on it. Or if you own the cablemodem and that's what the problem is. If not I would demand a service call or at least an internal trouble ticket so they can monitor the line for an extended period.

 

[Laputa]

Cable/Wireless/Sat/DSL? Could be a loose connection or possibly something else. Cheapest way to test is to install another PCI NIC if you have one laying around.

 

[Germonicus]

I have cable and for around 8 months I was getting this exact problem.Micro-disconnects which cause little problem except in online games where I'd be booted because of them.I found that disconnecting the power to the modem for 10 seconds and then reconnecting it forced the modem to reacquire my ISP adress which almost always fixed it until the next disconnect.

I had the engineers out time after time and I was told it was a known problem with WoW,then I started playing DnD online and it did it there too.......at which point I threatened to cancel my 20mb subscription,they came and replaced my line from the house to the distribution box in the street and hey presto...not a single problem since!