Replies

In order to narrow down the cause and eliminate the issue from hardware, software, or malware, you can start at the event viewer. (Start>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Event Viewer)

You should have 4 Sections...Application, Security, Systems, Internet Explorer. Start in the Applications folder and look for the columns labeled "Source" and "Event". Make note of the source name and event ID's, and then navigate to EventID.net

Now, enter the info in the search boxes and follow up on the return, if any. There are also other resources listed beneath the return.

Next, have you checked your device manager for anomalies? (Right click on My Computer>Properties>Hardware>Device Manager. Anything with a red "NO" circle or yellow exclamation mark is needing attention.

Next, have you checked in your Add/Remove Programs to see if anything has been installed that you do not recognize? (Start>Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs)

Have you tried "System Restore? (Start>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore)

If you've done all that and followed up on the results, if any, and still have no luck, you might want to start looking at the possibility of your machine having been compromised.

Thanks very much for your post.

You should have 4 Sections...Application, Security, Systems, Internet Explorer. Start in the Applications folder and look for the columns labeled "Source" and "Event". Make note of the source name and event ID's, and then navigate to EventID.net

Nothing looks out of place from an Event Log standpoint. I did do a System Restore to get my PC back to a state prior to when this problem occurred. Maybe the System Restore removed some items from the Event Log? Not sure.

Next, have you checked your device manager for anomalies? (Right click on My Computer>Properties>Hardware>Device Manager. Anything with a red "NO" circle or yellow exclamation mark is needing attention.

There is no red circle or yellow exclamation marks. I know exactly what you mean as I have worked on other people's computers in the past, and seen the yellow exclamation marks when something isn't right.

Next, have you checked in your Add/Remove Programs to see if anything has been installed that you do not recognize? (Start>Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs)

Nope. Everything looks fine there.

If you've done all that and followed up on the results, if any, and still have no luck, you might want to start looking at the possibility of your machine having been compromised.

I am starting to think this might be the reason, but there is no longer a VPN trying to connect, since I deleted that connection last night.

I tried a new Ethernet cable and that didn't solve the problem either.

In addition, the network card appears to be working fine (I will update the drivers, but I'm not sure a dropped connection would restore itself, just by installing new drivers). The drivers I have are from June 2005 and the latest one's at Intel's site are dated September 2007 - so I should at least download the new one's.

Thanks again very much for your post. I think after I update the drivers, if there's still an issue, I'll have to keep calling my ISP, but they rarely return my calls. They have a monopoly on the area where I live and the customer service is, unfortunately, quite sad.

I forgot to mention one thing:

When I disable the LAN connection and then re-enable, I see a “LAN is now connected at 10 mbps” balloon pop-up for 3-5 seconds, then the “a network cable is unplugged” message comes back.

If this was just some harmless device problem, which could be easily fixed, wouldn’t enabling/disabling the connection NEVER produce a “now connected” message?

That’s what has my internet.

Bizarre.