network card disconnects, "repair" fixes. How?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Frank Clarijs
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Frank Clarijs

Windows XP home desktop computer with built-in Broadcom 10/100 NIC. It
is connected via a USRobotics Broadband router/hub to a cable modem and
then to the Internet.

Quite often the PC will stop sending messages to the Internet
(indicators of the software firewall show that messages try to get out,
but nothing comes in. Router lights seem to confirm this). This can
happen after a few minutes, half an hour or not at all. Typically this
is worst on a Sunday evening, a bit better on weekdays between 19 and 21
hours, nearly no problem during the daytime.
The problem is fixed by powercycling the router (I'm not sure if this
attacks the cause or if this just works because it has effects on the
PC's NIC) or by going to the configuration panel / network connections,
then right-click the NIC, select "repair".

A Windows XP Professional laptop connected to the same router works
normally fine if used on its own. If both PCs are connected, connections
sometimes block for both, sometimes for the desktop only.

Two questions:
- anyone got a clue what is happening here and/or how to solve it?
- what is "repair" doing exactly?

thanks in advance
 
From a command prompt;
ipconfig /all
and again when it happens may reveal something.

Also check Event Viewer and Device Manager for errors and or non-starting
devices.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Windows XP home desktop computer with built-in Broadcom 10/100 NIC. It
| is connected via a USRobotics Broadband router/hub to a cable modem and
| then to the Internet.
|
| Quite often the PC will stop sending messages to the Internet
| (indicators of the software firewall show that messages try to get out,
| but nothing comes in. Router lights seem to confirm this). This can
| happen after a few minutes, half an hour or not at all. Typically this
| is worst on a Sunday evening, a bit better on weekdays between 19 and 21
| hours, nearly no problem during the daytime.
| The problem is fixed by powercycling the router (I'm not sure if this
| attacks the cause or if this just works because it has effects on the
| PC's NIC) or by going to the configuration panel / network connections,
| then right-click the NIC, select "repair".
|
| A Windows XP Professional laptop connected to the same router works
| normally fine if used on its own. If both PCs are connected, connections
| sometimes block for both, sometimes for the desktop only.
|
| Two questions:
| - anyone got a clue what is happening here and/or how to solve it?
| - what is "repair" doing exactly?
|
| thanks in advance
|
 
in 'device manager' check the properties of the nic and see if it
has a power management tab. If so remove the check from 'allow
windows to turn off this device to save power'. I've found this to
be the cause of similar problems with various nic's.

message Windows XP home desktop computer with built-in Broadcom 10/100 NIC.
It
is connected via a USRobotics Broadband router/hub to a cable modem
and
then to the Internet.

Quite often the PC will stop sending messages to the Internet
(indicators of the software firewall show that messages try to get
out,
but nothing comes in. Router lights seem to confirm this). This can
happen after a few minutes, half an hour or not at all. Typically
this
is worst on a Sunday evening, a bit better on weekdays between 19
and 21
hours, nearly no problem during the daytime.
The problem is fixed by powercycling the router (I'm not sure if
this
attacks the cause or if this just works because it has effects on
the
PC's NIC) or by going to the configuration panel / network
connections,
then right-click the NIC, select "repair".

A Windows XP Professional laptop connected to the same router works
normally fine if used on its own. If both PCs are connected,
connections
sometimes block for both, sometimes for the desktop only.

Two questions:
- anyone got a clue what is happening here and/or how to solve it?
- what is "repair" doing exactly?

thanks in advance
 
have you checked for virus or trojan activity? As others have noted the
power saving feature can also give this behavior. someone attemping to hack
or flood your conection might also have some effects simular to this.
Spyware can also be partly if not completly responcable for this too.

It is also possable you have more than one cause and and it seems like it
is the same issue. the time you gave might be when more people are online
and maybe downloading stuff or playing games wich require alot of bandwidth.
Cable internet systems work on what they call a block level access and you
actually share part of the availible bandwidth (speed) with others in you
neiborhood. If someone is attempting to attack/hack your router or the
computer in question has somethign installed that requires alot of bandwidth
like a virus or trojan or even spyware or p2p software, you could actually
run out of the capacity to perform other intended functions. chances are it
is somethign tied into the one computer because it apears to happen only
when it is conected and that would be the irst place to look.

running addaware or spybot search and destroy to check for spyware/malware
problems and making sure you have an upto date anti-virus and scanning the
system. also somethign like the cleaner from moosoft and trojan remover
from simplysup is good at finding trojans and such other programs sometimes
miss.
 
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