How to find out what is dialling my ISP?

  • Thread starter Thread starter rifleman
  • Start date Start date
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rifleman

XP Sp1 and fully patched.
I have Outlook that dials up at 30 min intervals. OE in News reader mode
that connects when I launch it.
ZoneAlarm and Avast! AV both set to update manually.
SOMETHING else is dialling my ISP. I have done all the usual things, Spybot
and Adaware, and a full AV scan.
How do I find what's doing it?
 
XP Sp1 and fully patched.
I have Outlook that dials up at 30 min intervals. OE in News reader mode
that connects when I launch it.
ZoneAlarm and Avast! AV both set to update manually.
SOMETHING else is dialling my ISP. I have done all the usual things, Spybot
and Adaware, and a full AV scan.
How do I find what's doing it?
Click to expand...

I use the Sygate Personal Firewall, not ZoneAlarm, but in Sygate I
must give permission for ANYTHING to connect... if ZA works similar,
you should be able to view your automatic permissions to see what
is listed... and anything that is not listed ZA should display a
message saying [something like] "program A wants to connect"

If ZA does not give a warning about "non permission" software, you
need a better firewall

John Thomas Smith
http://www.direct2usales.com
http://www.pacifier.com/~jtsmith
 
John Thomas Smith said:
XP Sp1 and fully patched.
I have Outlook that dials up at 30 min intervals. OE in News reader mode
that connects when I launch it.
ZoneAlarm and Avast! AV both set to update manually.
SOMETHING else is dialling my ISP. I have done all the usual things, Spybot
and Adaware, and a full AV scan.
How do I find what's doing it?
Click to expand...

I use the Sygate Personal Firewall, not ZoneAlarm, but in Sygate I
must give permission for ANYTHING to connect... if ZA works similar,
you should be able to view your automatic permissions to see what
is listed... and anything that is not listed ZA should display a
message saying [something like] "program A wants to connect"

If ZA does not give a warning about "non permission" software, you
need a better firewall
Click to expand...

ZA does do that and actually it was the very first firewall to have outbound
connection monitoring and its still free.
 
A few possibilities.

If you have XP set to automatically update, that could be the issue, try
turning off automatic update. Open Control Panel, open System, go to the
Automatic Update tab, remove the check from "Keep my computer up to
date...," click apply and ok and see if that resolves it.

If not, check your e-mail client to see if it is set to check for new mail
at specified intervals, if it is, try turning that off.

If you have Real Player installed, it has an option to check for updates and
it is enabled by default. Go through the Real Player options and disable
that feature. Also, any other application that may be set to automatically
check for updates and many have such a feature now, can be the culprit with
this type of issue.

Also, download, install and run Ad Aware, it might turn up something that
could be at the root of this issue:
www.lavasoftusa.com
 
Hi Phil!:-)

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

purplehaz said:
John Thomas Smith said:
XP Sp1 and fully patched.
I have Outlook that dials up at 30 min intervals. OE in News reader mode
that connects when I launch it.
ZoneAlarm and Avast! AV both set to update manually.
SOMETHING else is dialling my ISP. I have done all the usual things, Spybot
and Adaware, and a full AV scan.
How do I find what's doing it?
Click to expand...

I use the Sygate Personal Firewall, not ZoneAlarm, but in Sygate I
must give permission for ANYTHING to connect... if ZA works similar,
you should be able to view your automatic permissions to see what
is listed... and anything that is not listed ZA should display a
message saying [something like] "program A wants to connect"

If ZA does not give a warning about "non permission" software, you
need a better firewall
Click to expand...

ZA does do that and actually it was the very first firewall to have outbound
connection monitoring and its still free.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Michael nice to see you.

Michael Solomon (MS-MVP Windows Shell/User) said:
Hi Phil!:-)

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

purplehaz said:
John Thomas Smith said:
XP Sp1 and fully patched.
I have Outlook that dials up at 30 min intervals. OE in News reader mode
that connects when I launch it.
ZoneAlarm and Avast! AV both set to update manually.
SOMETHING else is dialling my ISP. I have done all the usual things, Spybot
and Adaware, and a full AV scan.
How do I find what's doing it?

I use the Sygate Personal Firewall, not ZoneAlarm, but in Sygate I
must give permission for ANYTHING to connect... if ZA works similar,
you should be able to view your automatic permissions to see what
is listed... and anything that is not listed ZA should display a
message saying [something like] "program A wants to connect"

If ZA does not give a warning about "non permission" software, you
need a better firewall
Click to expand...

ZA does do that and actually it was the very first firewall to have outbound
connection monitoring and its still free.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Michael Solomon (MS-MVP Windows Shell/User) said:
A few possibilities.

If you have XP set to automatically update,
Click to expand...

no, that's disabled
If not, check your e-mail client to see if it is set to check for new mail
at specified intervals, if it is, try turning that off.
Click to expand...

I know about that, this process, whatever it is, is dialing independently of
my mail client.
If you have Real Player installed, it has an option to check for updates and
it is enabled by default. Go through the Real Player options and disable
that feature.
Click to expand...

haven't got RealPlayer

Also, any other application that may be set to automatically
check for updates and many have such a feature now, can be the culprit with
this type of issue.
Click to expand...

No applications that sre running (ZoneAlarm and Avast! AV) are set to update
automatically. They are both set to manual update.
Also, download, install and run Ad Aware, it might turn up something that
could be at the root of this issue:
www.lavasoftusa.com
Click to expand...

Done that, and with Spybot as well.
 
That's about all I have to contribute but, just a heads up, if your mail
client is OE, even if Outlook Express is not open, it might still dial out
so you might want to shut off that feature at least to test. Remember,
Outlook Express and IE are now tightly integrated into the operating system.
 
rifleman said:
No -I specifically disabled them all!
Click to expand...

Well, how about running Task Manager when the dialling out begins and
watch it for processes and programs during and after/

Malke
 
Thanks for the tries, anyway.......

Michael Solomon (MS-MVP Windows Shell/User) said:
That's about all I have to contribute but, just a heads up, if your mail
client is OE, even if Outlook Express is not open, it might still dial out
so you might want to shut off that feature at least to test. Remember,
Outlook Express and IE are now tightly integrated into the operating system.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

independently
Click to expand...
 
Zone Alarm logs both inbound and out-bound connection
attempts, look at the log.


| The main problem is, it tends to do it when the laptop is
unattended......
|
| | > rifleman wrote:
| >
| > > No -I specifically disabled them all!
| > >
message
| > > | > >> Do you have any instant messengers installed?..
| > >>
| > >> --
| > >> History is only the past if we choose to do nothing
about it..
| > >>
| > >> | > >> > XP Sp1 and fully patched.
| > >> > I have Outlook that dials up at 30 min intervals.
OE in News reader
| > >> > mode that connects when I launch it.
| > >> > ZoneAlarm and Avast! AV both set to update
manually.
| > >> > SOMETHING else is dialling my ISP. I have done all
the usual
| > >> > things,
| > >> Spybot
| > >> > and Adaware, and a full AV scan.
| > >> > How do I find what's doing it?
| >
| > Well, how about running Task Manager when the dialling
out begins and
| > watch it for processes and programs during and after/
| >
| > Malke
| > --
| > Elephant Boy Computers
| > www.elephantboycomputers.com
| > "Don't Panic"
|
|
 
Try setting your Dial-up settings to Never dial a connection (Control
Panel > Connections). Then when programs want to access the internet,
they should pop up a window, asking whether you want them to connect
to the internet.
 
The tray clock in XP defaults to calling home. Have you disabled that?
 
Ah - didn't think of that! thanks very much. I've turned that off, and we'll
see what happens!


"whoever9262(sickoffakeMSmessages)"
 
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