When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
this started a couple of weeks ago .after using computer i'll turn off monitor and exit programs and keep computer on .i'll come back in a 1/2 hour or so and try to get on line and no go ,i get a cannot find server dns error .i have compact puter with windows xp and cable for internet,could the modem be going bad?,its only a 1 1/2 yo. any thoughts .i have to shut the thing off then restart and all is well but if i leave it idle for a little while it loses connection again.
> i leave it idle for a little while it loses connection again.
Basically, your computer is asleep when the dynamic host protocol/IP gets updated on the router and your computer does not get updated automatically with the new IP.
My laptop will give me the same symptoms when it 'hibernates'.
It takes the pc a few seconds to wake up, stretch, and see what parts are needing to 'wake up'. (I have the same problem!)
You can also go into "settings" and tell the pc to not put the harddrive into 'sleep' mode, or, to not turn off hdd.
Right click the network connection icon by the clock on your desktop, select "open network connections"
Right click the local area connection, select properties. Your network card should be at the top of the pop up window. Select the advanced button then the power management tab. Take the check out of "allow computer to turn off this device to save power". OK back out of the boxes. You should not have to reboot but it won't hurt.
I had this problem back a few years ago. It was a combination of my needing to update my copy of XP with SP2 in order to correct a problem with my Netgear router. My PC would freeze and lose connection. I would "repair" the connection and all would be well.
The internet would still drop off but not as much and a new modem took care of this.
It is possible that it is you modem or ISP. Both of my computers would not connect, usually at the same time each day. I thought Comcast was doing some maintenance which they denied. A new modem seemed to fix it, but by that time I was fed up with Comcast (they raised their price again too). I switched to Verizon's DSL & haven't had a problem in 3-4 years.