"A Network Cable is Unplugged"

[kc8adu]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

this is almost certainly hardware!
btw when the derecho came through here last year and took out the power i ran on backup till time warners pole mount ups gave out.was about 9 hours.no disconnected cable notice when it went.modem lights went to acquiring downstream and stuck there.any request from the pc timed out.
the live linux test is the first thing i would have done if i were the o.p.

[shadow]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

Try the simple thing of downloading a live Linux install and let it run overnight and see if the link dies during this time while doing something that draws a lot of data ( torrent client of the distro hosting the download will do as a safe legit load).

If not then you will probably be best off to reinstall XP, otherwise delete the drivers for the card and reinstall them again using the latest versions from the card manufacturers site. This will ensure you have no old software that can cause problems.

Great advice. By following this you will tell if it is a software issue or a hardware issue.

[SeanB]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

Try the simple thing of downloading a live Linux install and let it run overnight and see if the link dies during this time while doing something that draws a lot of data ( torrent client of the distro hosting the download will do as a safe legit load).

If not then you will probably be best off to reinstall XP, otherwise delete the drivers for the card and reinstall them again using the latest versions from the card manufacturers site. This will ensure you have no old software that can cause problems.

[Heihachi_73]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

That message will only appear if the cable itself has become dislodged, is faulty/broken or if the router has crashed or reset, or has a power issue. If the net actually does go down, Windows won't even say there's an error (as you are still connected to the router).

I haven't had cable internet since around 1998, so I can't remember how cable modems work in this situation, whether they disconnect entirely when there's not net access or just sit there waiting for a connection to the outside world.

On a side note, hopefully you don't have bad caps like my old D-Link ADSL1 router did.

[pentium]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

[shovenose]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

Move on from that outdated OS. Windows 7 (or 8) Problem Solved!!

[pentium]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

I've been living with this for seven months. I've tried a lot of that.

-My modem is built into the router so a connection to the router is the simplest way to connect.
-See above
-Yes. I have attached my Toughbook and Thinkpad to the same lines and left my IRC client connected overnight. When I get up in the morning they are still connected. Try that with the PC and it will usually drop the connection sometime during the night.
-I don't see what a crossover cable will do
-This is the ONLY machine in the house that has this problem. No other system attached to the network suffers from this problem, including a machine at the other end of the house which mainly streams videos.

The cable I ran from the switch to my PC is from the same spool I used to network the rest of the house and supply my old roommates with an internet connection. If this was a shielding problem I would be seeing problems all over the house and my roommates would of been breathing down my back for almost two years but I'm not seeing them. No matter what external factor I consider and change the problem remains specific to this system and this OS installation.

[Mad_Professor]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

We just went over that when I mentioned I tried multiple cables. The stuff I built and crimped myself came from the same spool I used when I wired my apartment in Vancouver which had three times the run length (about 80') and it never had a problem.


Not trying to be rude but is it possible to narrow id down to a specific section of the OS? I can reinstall but I really would not be looking forward to it and if it's from the same install CD again, what if it happens again?

yes, but is it shielded? Just because it worked in Vancouver doesn't mean it's going to have the same result everywhere. Different environments have different variables. A shielded (cat-5e or 6 STP, not UTP) cable directly to the router and machine will eliminate that interference, giving you a clean environment to work this problem out.

Since you're so convince that the problem is other then common sense;
Have you tried connecting to the modem directly?
Have you remove the modem leaving only router and machine connected?
Have you tried connecting another computer (one completely different) to eliminate faulty hardware?
Have you tried using a crossover cable?
Have you verified that you are not getting dirty power, causing switches, routers, modems to momentarily drop due to bad poco supply or a failing UPSes, those little bricks and wall warts can't handle a brownouts or surges as well as a atx power supply.

[pentium]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

sounds like electrical or emi interference from something, try getting a shielded cable and see if that works.

We just went over that when I mentioned I tried multiple cables. The stuff I built and crimped myself came from the same spool I used when I wired my apartment in Vancouver which had three times the run length (about 80') and it never had a problem.

sound like Xp is craping out.

Not trying to be rude but is it possible to narrow id down to a specific section of the OS? I can reinstall but I really would not be looking forward to it and if it's from the same install CD again, what if it happens again?

[goontron]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

sound like Xp is craping out.

[Mad_Professor]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

sounds like electrical or emi interference from something, try getting a shielded cable and see if that works.

[pentium]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

Technically I never changed ethernet hardware. There might be a different revision on the new board but I've otherwise never touched it.
I'm currently up to date on my SP3 updates though.
You do however remind me that this time around instead of installing from a shady burned pro CD I used an authentic Pro SP2 CD so I didn't have to fight the filesystem bug (XP partitons and formats up to 120gigs and after the install you need to use Partition Magic to expand the partition to cover the full terabyte of space).

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

It may be a old bug in XP, especially pre-SP2!

If you changed ethernet hardware, I would get XP X32 with SP3 integrated, if using XP X32.

[pentium]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

It isn't that problem this time around. I've completely eliminated that possibility with multiple cables and cards.
I can right now wiggle the cable ends to my hearts content while doing something like speedtest or a file transfer and the connection doesn't flinch.

[mariushm]

Re: "A Network Cable is Unplugged"

Check the network cable (sometimes the jacks get loose).

Check the actual network jack on the motherboard, just in case there's some pins that no longer flex properly or maybe they're oxidized.

[pentium]

THIS is wildly pissing me the hell off now.

What happens is that on a random (but still happening multiple times a day) occasion that little balloon will pop up on the taskbar.
Half the time nothing will happen and active connections don't skip a beat. The other half of the time everything dies and disconnects and it takes a few seconds for the network interface to go back to being connected and for everything to sign back in. If however you're doing something like file transfer or a remote session that all dies and you have to start over again. If you're in a game you have to reconnect and you can forget about hosting anything....
I've replaced EVERYTHING hardware related. I've used three different network cables (two custom made and one pre-fabricated), I've changed ports on the switch and even bypassed the switch and gone directly to the router. I've even replaced my motherboard (my last 865PE bit the dust so I bought another) as to make sure it's not a glitchy NIC. Yet after all that it persists. It worked flawlessly when I was living in Vancouver. After I was setup here with my parents again I did a fresh install of XP. THAT is when the problems started to happen. Yes I have uninstalled and reinstalled the network driver. What the hell gives??