HELP! Internet cutting out randomly and frequently HELP!

[Sushi1091]

Currently in my house I have an XP computer downstairs wired into the router and a wireless laptop connected to router as well. Recently I built my own P.C. for gaming and put it upstairs and wired it to the modem via 100 ft. Ethernet cable. Upon first installing everything it worked without any problems for 2 months. However after to months the internet keeps cutting out only on the computer i built upstairs and only the computer upstairs The only way to fix it is to reset the network adapter on that computer and that will last only about 3 hours before i get limited connectivity. This system is Vista based and connected to my router which is connected to my modem. I can't seem to figure out for the life of me whether it is a VISTA FAIL, onboard Network card fail, Ethernet cable fail, router fail, modem fail, or a catastrophic combination of them all. Please help... gaming just isn't as good if you can't game continuously without your internet crapping out on you.

I appreciate your time. Thank you

 

[NYCSavage]

Are you in the UK? Are you on a cable connection by any chance? This is a common complaint of Virgin UK customers (me included)

 

[Sushi1091]

No I am not in the UK, I am in Michigan, USA. Yes I do have a cable connection. Why would a cable connection only cut out on one computer though?

 

[Zakkas]

Did Windows install any new updates recently? When you get disconnected what steps do you take to resolve the issue (you said you reset the network adapter; are you doing this via control panel and just right clicking your network connection to disable then enable)?

Can you verify that when your homebuilt PC loses Internet connectivity that all other PC's can still browse the Internet?

 

[Sushi1091]

No, Windows did not install any updates when the problem came up, When it gets D/C'ed I just right click Connectivity, Diagnose and Repair, and then it gives me option to reset network Adapter, occasionally Diagnose and repair doesn't Identify the problem and I have to manually do reset by disabling and re enabling adapter.

Yes, one time I was on the laptop of our household surfing the net while I was gaming and Internet cut on Home built P.C. and not the laptop.

It really has me confused that one machine can maintain internet while the other cuts out.

 

[DimitrisByDesign]

I'm having a similar, but not identical, problem. When the internet cuts out, it does so on all my machines. So, I needed to isolate the problem. Here's what I did, even if it does sound obvious it worked:

1. I reset the router to see if that was the problem, it wasn't.

2. I went straight from the cable modem to one of the PCs, that was it.

Basically, you have to isolate the issue. If you're getting a signal from the modem on even one machine then your source signal, modem, is fine. Then you have to see if the router is the issue so you should plug in to the router to see if you're getting a signal through that.

If the router is fine and you're getting signals from both the modem and router, then it's a PC issue. To save yourself endless troubleshooting headaches and hours, buy a new network card (they're very cheap) install it and see what happens--make sure you use a "new" ethernet cable too just to eliminate any potential issues. By the way, if you have any software firewalls, temporarily disable them--Nortons is notorious for blocking connections w/their darn rules.

Now, the only thing you're doing when you diagnose/reset your connection is basically releasing your IP address for a new one, that's it. You can do that by typing cmd in "run" and in the command prompt type ipconfig /release then type ipconfig /renew. This will just renew your address and you'll see your new address. If you type ipconfig /all you'll see your ip addresses on your entire network. Make sure there's a space after the slash e.g. ipconfig (space) /all Good luck. Let us know how you make out if you haven't solved your issue yet. If you have, what did you do?

 

[Sushi1091]

I was considering the idea of a NIC in order to remedy the problem. Personally, if I am going to buy a NIC I don't want a cheap hunk a junk, I like to look for the best bang for my buck to get a little performance boost. I like to shop www.newegg.com and was curious if you had any ideas as to the best NIC for a gaming machine that does the occasional torrenting... The one Game killer is a little pricey, I was looking to spend no more then 50$ for a decent NIC, any suggestions before I invest my money in something that may turn out to worsen the performance of my P.C.?

On another note I have seen something is possibly up with my motherboard and internet. My board is currently http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359, (GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard). I'm not sure if this is a defect with the boards Network Adapter or if it is just the network adapter itself...

Again, any help is appreciated. Thank You so much for your time.

 

[Sushi1091]

So something fantastic to add on to my connection problems... My Xbox live while playing halo 3, connected via wireless network adapter, drops and my connection stays at one bar making it impossible to play for about 5 minutes before my connection fully returns... So I'm guessing possibly my router, a DGL-4300 may be on the fritz, would you agree or disagree with this?

 

[DimitrisByDesign]

Wow, you know it's these problems that can drive you crazy. I, too, have a Gigabyte mobo and one thing that I have to say about them is that they're "extremely fussy" about the drivers you load on to them. I had all sorts of problems when I first built my machine. Anyway, I installed all the drivers for it and finally it went really smooth--big difference from my Intel Mobo machine. I installed Vista Business 64bit on it (the one w/the Gigabyte mobo) and use it to edit/render video and it does a good job.

Now, as far as a good NIC, I'm not really sure what to tell you. I recently upgraded our network to Gigabyte (1000Mbs) and have seen some differences. I went with all Netgear stuff including router and NIC. You know, I don't really think you get much of a performance boost by buying a $200+ NIC. The difference is that it will relieve some of the work from the PC's CPU but it's such a small difference that I highly doubt you'll notice it.

As far as your XBOX is concerned, try the connection w/a laptop or something to see if it, too, drops out--make sure you're in the same location. If indeed it does drop out then it's the router. Basically, unless it's painfully obvious, diagnosing multiple problems is like taking a multiple choice test: it's a process of elimination. Just try eliminating one thing at a time to see which is the culprit.

Take care and let us know how you make out.