Dial-Up Woes

Is it possible that there is something on my computer that could be causing this?

I just ditched MSN dial-up for this problem and have switched to a local ISP that a lot of my friends seem to be happy with. (They aren't experiencing the problem.) The problem is this: Once or twice a day I have trouble logging on. The problem will last for 30 minutes to two hours. Most of the time the computer will dial and after it starts verifying user ID and password, it disconnects and tells me that the server took too long to send a response. (Or something worded very close to that.) The other problem is that sometimes it tells me that my User ID and password could not be verified.

I know my user id and password are always right. I've got them saved and never change thier values. Normally, I'd say it's a problem with the ISP. Hence the reason I ditched MSN. However, my new provider is doing the same thing and all the people I talk to who use this one also have not noticed the same problem.

My question is this: Is there something I may have "dorked" up on my machine? Possibly something about logon settings or something. What makes this a little trickier is that I've used the "Automatic Configuration Utility" from my new ISP that sets everything up for you if you enter your User ID and Password during install.

If you really get into the answer for this, my ISP's page can be found at <a href="http://www.xmission.com" target="_blank">www.xmission.com</a> I'm currently surfing thier site looking for an answer, I just thought that the vast experience and knowledge of the folks here at WinDrivers may be able to shed some light on this problem. Thanks in advance and ANY help is appreciated.

Ask your provider if there are any specific IP settings, such as DNS entries, to input into your DUN configuration.

Also, make sure no other protocols are bound to your DUN. Look in network properties for your remote access "card" and disable any protocols that are not TCP/IP.

Thank you adept, I took your advice and took another peek at my bindings. (I also checked the DNS and everything was good there...) I did notice something "fishy" though. I noticed it when I first loaded XP on the system. There was a thing called QoS on all my networking components. I did a little research on it then and if memory serves, I believe it is Quality of Service.

I'm not sure if I remember correctly, but I think this is XP's attempt at reserving bandwidth for "important" applications. (most likely thier spy-ware...)

Anyway, moral of the story is this: The machine was in the middle of it's not connecting properly routine, so I uninstalled QoS from that DUN account. Directly after that, (and a reboot) I was able to dial in no-problem.

This leads me to another question. What exactly IS QoS? And could it have been the culprit to my DUN woes? Or was it just lucky that I was able to establish a connection right after I uninstalled it?

I fixed the problem. As it turns out, my TCP/IP had gotten "dorked" up somehow. It was not initializing correctly every time. That explains why the problem was intermittent without any changes to my account settings.

This strikes fairly deeply at the heart of Win XP as TCP/IP is integrated so tightly in with the Operating System. (As a matter of fact you CANNOT un-install TCP/IP... :eek: ) Anyway, I found a really good read here:

<a href="http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q299357" target="_blank">http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q299357</a>

It's titled: How to Reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in Windows XP (Q299357). I HIGHLY encourage all who want to understand TCP/IP in WinXP to at least read the first couple of paragraphs. Anyway, just thought I'd post the fix.