05-21-2003, 08:49 PM
It's really getting on my nerves, having to reboot several times a day just to keep an internet connection.
You say that the connection is restored if you reboot?
That may mean that the problem is NOT on the ISP end. It's still possible, but not as likely.
Preferred troubleshooting (at least, what I would do):
1: Try a different 'puter on your connection. This may not be practical for you, but it would be the fastest way to be 99% sure whether the problem is inside your box.
1a: Try a different connection on your 'puter. Again, this may not be practical, but if you have a friend using the same ISP, it could be worth a shot.
2: Try a different OS in your 'puter. If you are thinking of getting another hard drive soon, this could be a good thing to try. Win98SE 2.1 was the first version that worked okay with USB, 2.5 was much better. Any OS later than the version you're using now would determine if it is an OS problem. Swap in the new hard drive, install OS & minimum software to get online, & give it a shot.
3: Remove other USB components. Win98SE is not 100% with USB, the dynamic configuration could be taking it out, possibly due to other USB components on the system. This is probably the first thing I would try, so why is it number 3?
4: Change interface to NIC (Network Interface Card). This would take USB right out of the picture. The network card is pretty cheap now, you would need to get your ISP to provide you with a modem with an Ethernet RJ-45 connector. If this works, it is a good long-term solution since the NIC is a better interface to the modem than USB anyway.
(Note to the know-it-alls: Yes, I know that USB2 is comparable to ethernet for the interface, but since this guy is using Win98SE, we can be pretty sure that his 'puter doesn't have it.)
-rcv-
You say that the connection is restored if you reboot?
That may mean that the problem is NOT on the ISP end. It's still possible, but not as likely.
Preferred troubleshooting (at least, what I would do):
1: Try a different 'puter on your connection. This may not be practical for you, but it would be the fastest way to be 99% sure whether the problem is inside your box.
1a: Try a different connection on your 'puter. Again, this may not be practical, but if you have a friend using the same ISP, it could be worth a shot.
2: Try a different OS in your 'puter. If you are thinking of getting another hard drive soon, this could be a good thing to try. Win98SE 2.1 was the first version that worked okay with USB, 2.5 was much better. Any OS later than the version you're using now would determine if it is an OS problem. Swap in the new hard drive, install OS & minimum software to get online, & give it a shot.
3: Remove other USB components. Win98SE is not 100% with USB, the dynamic configuration could be taking it out, possibly due to other USB components on the system. This is probably the first thing I would try, so why is it number 3?
4: Change interface to NIC (Network Interface Card). This would take USB right out of the picture. The network card is pretty cheap now, you would need to get your ISP to provide you with a modem with an Ethernet RJ-45 connector. If this works, it is a good long-term solution since the NIC is a better interface to the modem than USB anyway.
(Note to the know-it-alls: Yes, I know that USB2 is comparable to ethernet for the interface, but since this guy is using Win98SE, we can be pretty sure that his 'puter doesn't have it.)
-rcv-