Unresponsive internet connection
Im trying to help a friend with a dialup problem. The machine is a Dell laptop with 128mb ram. XP pro. After repeated attempts to dialup it will eventually connect. I was going to suggest deleting the dialup config and creating a new account for that user, as well as check for virsuses or malware, but thought I'd see if anyone else has come across this situation before. There have been a few system problems recently with this machine including hang at shutdown. I'd like to check MEM problems only as a last resort.
Here's the text as I received it.....
My usual mode of connecting includes booting through my MSN Premium pack. I double click the little butterfly, and it begins booting up to msn. Now, usually, the internet connecting box is triggered from this... but a few times now (today being the worst) the box doesn't come up... I bring up the Task Manager and it tells me that the program is non responsive... so I end it.
Then I try going in through the Ozemail icon on my desktop. it is totally non responsive. I don't even get an hourglass.
When I go through "Start" and hold my mouse over "Connect to", there is an arrow which should bring up a drop down box showing my connection options... the options simply do not come up, and it freezes grey over the "Connect to" selection. After that, it's stumps, it's frozen on the "Start" menu, and I have to actually click the power button to turn the computer off... either that, or go into Task Manager, which automatically closes the "Start" menu, but then I can no longer press "Start", it's unresponsive, so I must press the power button to turn off the computer.
I try going in directly through internet Explorer, and it just opens the page "Cannot find server" - this also should trigger the auto connection box, but doesn't. I re-boot.
After I re-boot I go into Control Panel/Internet Properties. All the tabs come up. I can read all of the tabs except the 'connections' one... it freezes and doesn't let me in.
