windows 2000 "dropping" an internet connection

[CXGJarrod]

Originally posted here by wassup
it may be due to messed up isp because i know my isp has problems. for one thing my dns and rdns dont go together. but then again i have had this happen on dial up modems on all sorts of ISPs

You may also have problems with your phone lines. Call up the DSL company and see if they can test the lines. We had them do that (because our phone lines were not working correctly) and they found out that rats had been munching on our cables inside the main utility room in our building.

[RoadClosed]

when you do lose the connection see if it's a DNS issue or a network issue. Most of the posters are correct in assuming it's the Router/Modem and beyond because that is almost always the case in scenarios like this. Next time it drops ping the router, then your ISP gateway by name. If that doesn't work ping them both by address. If you get a ping by ip the modem, win2k and the ISP gateway are OK. Now ping the DNS server by address. If it's not responding by address it's not resolving and like stated you can use others as backups. Call you ISP and you may find that is an old DNS server just hanging out (I can count 10 times this has happened to me) or they may give you and address for some other backups or new DNS boxes. Also ping the DNS server by IP, it may have problems and keeps rebooting etc. Hope that helps a little.

I have also run into problems where the router/modem was assigning bad numbers to my NIC that matched the internal gatway address of the modem and it would crap out until reboot. But you have to see if you can still ping ISP hops via IP when your internet stops working. That is a critical step.

[KorpDeath]

First off, technically a DSL connection has no modem. There is no moulation/demodulation since it's a digital connection all the way through. Another sticking point is the fact that cable companies call their connection devices cable modem, this is another fallicy since they are also digital throughout. It's a misnomer.

You really have to have an idea of what you are working with before you can effectively troubleshoot the problem.

Check your DSL router manufacturer's websites for any caveats before posing this type of question. They should realize their product drops connections and fix the problem.

Another bit of advise, troubleshoot your LAN before moving on. Always work from the simplest problem to the more complicated. You'll save yourself allot of time.

[RoadClosed]

Actually if you want to get technical they are Modems. They modulate and demodulate frequencies above the voice channel from 100Khz to 1.1 Magahertz. Sure there are many flavors but that is how the signal gets from the house or office to the CO. That's why normal phone lines work and most of the time the CO doesn't need conditioning equipment and you can put a filter on the line and still use voice since it's above normal telco speech. Even DSL modems sold as DSL routers have built in modems.

Cable is the same only coax supports a 6 Mhz signal witch most likely uses QAM, Quatrature Amplitude Modulation. There is a modulator/demodulator in a cable box.