Slow Late In Day???

[jessek]

I am going out of my mind with my lack of internet service late in the day. It oftens fails around dinner time, sometimes I get to surf until 11:00 p.m. and sometimes I lose it entirely for the day at about 12:00p.m.!!!!!!!

My ISP says that there is nothing wrong and that it must be something wrong with MY computer! It always works well after a "rest" (sometimes I can get it back after shutting down for a couple of hours, and it always works fine first thing in the morning). Can an ethernet card get overheated and stop functioning?

I must add, that it shows that I have an internet connection during these times, but it's so slow it would take about 2 hours to load ANY page. It times out on IE, but will keep trying forever on Netscape.

I am at my wit's end! Please help!!!

[Jim Smith]

Overheating likely a serious problem. Have you change the physical location of the machine recently? Is there free air flow around and a behind the case?

Put your hand at the power supply exhaust just after you've booted. You should feel a steady flow of air. If not the exhaust fan is dead. Feel the warmth, after running a while it will probably feel much hotter. Then, reboot and enter setup (the BIOS) as indicated on the screen (perhaps, hit Delete key) and find CPU/motherboard temperatures if available and post them here.

If you are more adventurous, open the case. Likely, one exhaust fan in the power supply, an intake fan on the diagonal corner and a small one above the microprocessor, more or less a little below the power supply. The first and last are by far the most important. Post what you find.

[renegade600]

What type of internet access do you have - cable, dsl, landline.

If your connection is great all day until evening and If you have cable, and if you are downline from bandwidth hogs then there is nothing you can do unless your isp tracks it down and puts a stop to it - which is unlikely. Cable access speed is limited to the number of users and what they are doing at any given time.

For example, I have problems between 3pm and 5 pm every afternoon. This is when the factories and school gets out in my area and people are going home to get online. There is nothing I can do about it.

If it is phone line problem - dsl and landline then it could be other things.

[jessek]

I'm on highspeed DSL.

Everything else works fine with the computer except browsing/internet, so could heat still be an issue? Would the fans allow the whole system to work fine EXCEPT the internet?

Thanks for your suggestions so far. BTW, I lost it again right after I posted my question yesterday, or I would have been back here much sooner.

[renegade600]

Shuckss I was hoping it would be something simple like cable :-) There went that idea.

So you are having no problems with your computer with the exception of your browser and internet access? If this is the case, I cannot see a heat problem with the computer itself. However, how about the modem? Is the plug to the electrical outlet or the modem itself extremely hot when you get kick off?

Did this just start recently, did you install/upgrade any hardware/software just before the problems? Do you have any type of live updates in the evenings?

One thought, If your isp says theres no problems with your access. If you are in the states, and have inline insurance on your phone bill, I would complain to the phone company that you are getting alot of static on your phone and have them check the lines in the house. Do not say anything about the computer. This way they will check the phone wiring in the house free.

[jessek]

This started about a month ago, and we've not installed anything new recently.

I will check the external modem for heat now, and then see if it seems much hotter to the touch when I lose connectivity again.

I am in Toronto, my DSL is purchased through the phone company's internet division, and I'll get my brother the telephone technician to check the line.

I'll keep you posted, but if anyone else has any suggestions in the meantime, I certainly would be glad to hear them.

[jessek]

There is no temperature difference in the external modem box when this happens.

I was just wondering if anyone knows how DSL works? Could a neighbour be hacking onto my line and taking over?

The times would make sense if someone is coming home in the evening and then taking over my connection, or if a student comes home at lunch (which has happened a few times), and once or twice it's not been available first thing in the morning but back in service by about 9:00.

I subscribe through the local telephone company, and wonder if the line can be accessed somehow by a crafty, tech-savvy neighbour?

Anyone?

[HKEd]

Hi jessek...

I subscribe through the local telephone company, and wonder if the line can be accessed somehow by a crafty, tech-savvy neighbour?

Unlikely...DSL and ADSL come through the copper wire of your phone line. They use a different frequency from modems and voice (hence the 56K limitation on modems - anything higher interferes with voice). Your phone line would have to be "tapped" for anything like the problem you describe to happen.

It's a long shot as I suspect the problem is at the ISP's end, but a look at your startups would rule out any malware cause. Download, unzip and scan with HijackThis. The 'Scan' button changes to 'Save log'. Don't make any changes, just save the log file and post its contents in your reply.

[jessek]

Here it is......

Logfile of HijackThis v1.97.2
Scan saved at 2:21:13 PM, on 9/28/2003
Platform: Windows ME (Win9x 4.90.3000)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\KERNEL32.DLL
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSGSRV32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\mmtask.tsk
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MPREXE.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSTASK.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\TASKMON.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSTRAY.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WMIEXE.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\RESTORE\STMGR.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\SYMPATICO\ACCESS MANAGER\APP\ENTERNET.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DDHELP.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\YAHOO!\MESSENGER\YPAGER.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\NETSCAPE\NETSCAPE\NETSCP.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\HIJACKTHIS.EXE

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www1.sympatico.ca/
N1 - Netscape 4: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://www1.sympatico.ca/"); (C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\prefs.js)
O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSDXM.OCX
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ScanRegistry] C:\WINDOWS\scanregw.exe /autorun
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TaskMonitor] C:\WINDOWS\taskmon.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RegisterDropHandler] C:\PROGRA~1\TEXTBR~1.0\BIN\REGIST~1.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SystemTray] SysTray.Exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LoadPowerProfile] Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [RegisterDropHandler] C:\PROGRA~1\TEXTBR~1.0\BIN\REGIST~1.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [LoadPowerProfile] Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [SchedulingAgent] mstask.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [*StateMgr] C:\WINDOWS\System\Restore\StateMgr.exe
O4 - Startup: Reboot.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger (HKLM)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: MSN Messenger Service (HKLM)
O9 - Extra button: Yahoo! Messenger (HKLM)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Yahoo! Messenger (HKLM)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console (HKLM)
O12 - Plugin for .mov: C:\PROGRA~1\INTERN~1\PLUGINS\npqtplugin.dll
O16 - DPF: {9F1C11AA-197B-4942-BA54-47A8489BB47F} (Update Class) - http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.co...7615.839537037
O16 - DPF: {0E5F0222-96B9-11D3-8997-00104BD12D94} (PCPitstop Utility) - http://www.pcpitstop.com/pcpitstop/PCPitStop.CAB
O16 - DPF: {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000} (Shockwave Flash Object) - http://download.macromedia.com/pub/s...sh/swflash.cab
O16 - DPF: {F8F88D0D-E455-11D6-B547-00400555C7FB} (DiskHealth2 Class) - http://www.pcpitstop.com/pcpitstop/PCPitStop.CAB
O16 - DPF: Yahoo! Euchre - http://download.games.yahoo.com/game...ts/y/et1_x.cab

[HKEd]

Oh well...I said it was a long shot.

What's that reboot.exe in your startups? Is it this one?

[jessek]

No idea what it is. Been there forever, and according to a startup list I use, it isn't doing any harm.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to phone the ISP again and listen to them tell me there's nothing wrong at their end.


GRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Unless anyone else has any ideas???????

[renegade600]

I guess you do not have another computer to try on the line? Maybe swap the modem with someone else temporary. Both are still long shots... But From what you say, there seems to be nothing wrong on your end.

Are you running any live updates or scans during the times you are having problems?

[jessek]

No updates or scans.

No second computer.

No friends on same DSL to try their modem.

Perhaps I can return mine as defective?