Note: My computer is running Windows 7 (32 bit), I haven't downloaded any new programs lately, there have been no drastic changes to the registry, nothing has been updated. I've tried clearing cache, rebooting the modem, rebooting my computer.
Okay, guys - ladies, others, whatever you prefer - let me preface this with saying that I don't usually have to ask for computer help. In my past I've run a few basic Linux systems in addition to Windows, I've done reformats and partitions, I've installed my own video cards and rebuilt machines with failing parts. Usually, when things go south, I have some idea of what's going on and, if I don't, I sort it out for myself.
This time, I have no other things to try.
It all started when AT&T forcibly upgraded me from their broadband DSL (used to be SBC Yahoo many, many years ago - almost 10, now) to U-Verse. They promised it would be faster, and less complicated. It should've been. There were some problems along the lines outside, but they had a crew come out and fix those before they even installed the U-Verse.
About two weeks into it, things went... Awry.
My computer, a Toshiba Satellite laptop, which is ancient by technological standards (2009), started showing a strange problem. Despite my modem indicating with fully lit, green, unblinking lights, that it was working perfectly - and despite my phone, and every other device in the house being able to work off of the modem - my computer insisted it was having connection errors.
At first, I thought it must be the line again, because the problems were occurring only from noon to 5pm. Then it occurred to me that it may be spyware, malware, or some program that I wasn't aware of, running in the background, so I did several scans and checked out the task manager's list of running processes.
Nada.
I tested it to see if, for some odd reason, my firewall (Comodo) was causing the problem - despite the fact that I've used it, without issue, for MONTHS now.
Nope. Didn't fix anything.
Because I thought it might be a WiFi receiver failure, because literally what else could it have been, I turned off my WiFi receiver and used Ethernet.
Nichts. Literally no difference. Maybe a little better - but really, nothing.
So, after four days, I called AT&T and they sent out a technician. The guy looked at everything about five times before replacing a pinched wire in the box on the side of the house, and then replacing the phone line from the room with the modem to the circuit board in the basement. The theory was that noise could be causing the problem - because, after all, wouldn't a hardware failure be less consistent than 4 days of showing up during the same time frame?
Well, I thought so.
It was fine as soon as the man replaced the wiring, so I thanked him, gratefully, and he left. I enjoyed SMOOOOOOTH internet... for one night. The following day, at noon, it happened again. I was enraged.
I decided to check out my computer's drivers, when the connection was stable. It insisted that all was up to date. I let that slide, since I haven't had a problem with drivers in eons.
I realized that my ancient Toshiba might be having problems with the encryption on the new modem, so I fiddled around with it and changed it to basic WEP. This seemed to work, but only for a short while, and I wasn't surprised. After all, if using the Ethernet cable hadn't fixed my problem, then changing the encryption wouldn't, either.
Now, the problem is happening all the time. If my modem so much as twitches and loses signal, I get 'ERROR_NETWORK_CHANGED' and 'SSL CONNECTION FAILED' errors left and right - lasting long, long the modem has come back up. Hours after the modem has come back up. I get signed off and on my various programs so frequently that the servers for some chat programs institute temporary bans against my screennames for 'logging on and off too much'. As if I am a bot, trying to attack their servers.
I would say that it looks like WiFi receiver failure, or an onboard problem, but the only issue is that it's telling me that I'm connected to the WiFi. My computer says I'm connected. I've checked the packets being sent and received. My firewall shows indications of slight activity. My modem's control page loads up and insists it's working perfectly. My other devices have no problem with the modem. The problem happens when my modem has full green lights, though it happens more often on the heels of a modem disconnect than anything else.
I've tried clearing programs' caches, tried restarting both the modem and my computer. It's obvious to me that there's something I'm missing, but I have no idea what. I've tried almost everything except for reformatting my computer, but I don't have any installation discs anymore.
I already know that my computer is slowly dying, so I'm willing to acknowledge that this could be another part of it. Still, I'd like to hear the theories from all of you before I give up on it. I know it's ancient, in technological terms, but the economy is hard on all of us and I haven't had the funds for a new one (or even an old one). I don't want to have to replace it if the problem can be fixed.
One of my friends suggested I try booting Puppy Linux, to determine whether the issue is software or hardware. I admit that I haven't done that yet, but I'm about to do it and will let you know the results of that.
I will also get to your TSG SysInfo thing in a moment, however my internet access on the computer is only working in brief intervals and I'm trying to get this submitted before it, inevitably, crashes again for another 3+ hours.
Okay, guys - ladies, others, whatever you prefer - let me preface this with saying that I don't usually have to ask for computer help. In my past I've run a few basic Linux systems in addition to Windows, I've done reformats and partitions, I've installed my own video cards and rebuilt machines with failing parts. Usually, when things go south, I have some idea of what's going on and, if I don't, I sort it out for myself.
This time, I have no other things to try.
It all started when AT&T forcibly upgraded me from their broadband DSL (used to be SBC Yahoo many, many years ago - almost 10, now) to U-Verse. They promised it would be faster, and less complicated. It should've been. There were some problems along the lines outside, but they had a crew come out and fix those before they even installed the U-Verse.
About two weeks into it, things went... Awry.
My computer, a Toshiba Satellite laptop, which is ancient by technological standards (2009), started showing a strange problem. Despite my modem indicating with fully lit, green, unblinking lights, that it was working perfectly - and despite my phone, and every other device in the house being able to work off of the modem - my computer insisted it was having connection errors.
At first, I thought it must be the line again, because the problems were occurring only from noon to 5pm. Then it occurred to me that it may be spyware, malware, or some program that I wasn't aware of, running in the background, so I did several scans and checked out the task manager's list of running processes.
Nada.
I tested it to see if, for some odd reason, my firewall (Comodo) was causing the problem - despite the fact that I've used it, without issue, for MONTHS now.
Nope. Didn't fix anything.
Because I thought it might be a WiFi receiver failure, because literally what else could it have been, I turned off my WiFi receiver and used Ethernet.
Nichts. Literally no difference. Maybe a little better - but really, nothing.
So, after four days, I called AT&T and they sent out a technician. The guy looked at everything about five times before replacing a pinched wire in the box on the side of the house, and then replacing the phone line from the room with the modem to the circuit board in the basement. The theory was that noise could be causing the problem - because, after all, wouldn't a hardware failure be less consistent than 4 days of showing up during the same time frame?
Well, I thought so.
It was fine as soon as the man replaced the wiring, so I thanked him, gratefully, and he left. I enjoyed SMOOOOOOTH internet... for one night. The following day, at noon, it happened again. I was enraged.
I decided to check out my computer's drivers, when the connection was stable. It insisted that all was up to date. I let that slide, since I haven't had a problem with drivers in eons.
I realized that my ancient Toshiba might be having problems with the encryption on the new modem, so I fiddled around with it and changed it to basic WEP. This seemed to work, but only for a short while, and I wasn't surprised. After all, if using the Ethernet cable hadn't fixed my problem, then changing the encryption wouldn't, either.
Now, the problem is happening all the time. If my modem so much as twitches and loses signal, I get 'ERROR_NETWORK_CHANGED' and 'SSL CONNECTION FAILED' errors left and right - lasting long, long the modem has come back up. Hours after the modem has come back up. I get signed off and on my various programs so frequently that the servers for some chat programs institute temporary bans against my screennames for 'logging on and off too much'. As if I am a bot, trying to attack their servers.
I would say that it looks like WiFi receiver failure, or an onboard problem, but the only issue is that it's telling me that I'm connected to the WiFi. My computer says I'm connected. I've checked the packets being sent and received. My firewall shows indications of slight activity. My modem's control page loads up and insists it's working perfectly. My other devices have no problem with the modem. The problem happens when my modem has full green lights, though it happens more often on the heels of a modem disconnect than anything else.
I've tried clearing programs' caches, tried restarting both the modem and my computer. It's obvious to me that there's something I'm missing, but I have no idea what. I've tried almost everything except for reformatting my computer, but I don't have any installation discs anymore.
I already know that my computer is slowly dying, so I'm willing to acknowledge that this could be another part of it. Still, I'd like to hear the theories from all of you before I give up on it. I know it's ancient, in technological terms, but the economy is hard on all of us and I haven't had the funds for a new one (or even an old one). I don't want to have to replace it if the problem can be fixed.
One of my friends suggested I try booting Puppy Linux, to determine whether the issue is software or hardware. I admit that I haven't done that yet, but I'm about to do it and will let you know the results of that.
I will also get to your TSG SysInfo thing in a moment, however my internet access on the computer is only working in brief intervals and I'm trying to get this submitted before it, inevitably, crashes again for another 3+ hours.