Broadband Questions

[AlanHo]

In the past week I have been asked to help friends with computer problems - in both cases caused by serious malware infections which I sorted out.

They are both on BT broadband and I noticed that each time the computer is booted they have to go through the motions of Start Button > Connect to > select broadband > on the window that opens click on connect - or in the case of of one friend "Dial" even though it is broadband. One of them has to enter his password each time - it is not being remembered. It is very likely that one of the guys was collecting malware for a hobby because his AVG was not updating properly as a result - the last update of his data file was July 2007.

I have cable broadband and am used to it connecting automatically to broadband each time it is booted. Hence I suspect that my friends computers may not be set up properly but cannot be sure because I have never used BT type broadband - maybe you have to manually connect each time...?.

So the question is - do my friends have their systems set up correctly - if not - how do I modify them to get auto broadband connect.

[andsome]

I forget what BB my daughter uses, but she had to go to all this palaver too. I looked at Start/BB(whatever it was), and created a shortcut on the desktop. This saved some time but also needed to dial, but in the dial up window I found a connect button which could be activated on a permanent basis. All she does now is to double click the shortcut. Sorry I can't be more specific, but have a look at it after you have created a desk top shortcut. Cable is definitely king. :D

[CurlyWhirly]

Cable is definitely king. :D

Yes if you can get it (half of the UK population can't) :(

[andsome]

Cable is definitely king. :D

Yes if you can get it (half of the UK population can't) :(

I'm in the lucky half. :lol:

[AlanHo]

I take it from the lack of answers to my question that none of our members can help.

Is it always necessary when using broadband connected via a telephone line - without a router - to have to manually click on connect (or dial up) to connect to broadband or is there a way of setting it up so that when you boot up you are connected automatically. If so - how.

It is kinda important because one of my friends only connects when he wants to go on the web - which is infrequent and not for long periods - and AVG may not be in the mood to download updates at that time.

[catgate]

I take it from the lack of answers to my question that none of our members can help.

Is it always necessary when using broadband connected via a telephone line - without a router - to have to manually click on connect (or dial up) to connect to broadband or is there a way of setting it up so that when you boot up you are connected automatically. If so - how.

It is kinda important because one of my friends only connects when he wants to go on the web - which is infrequent and not for long periods - and AVG may not be in the mood to download updates at that time.

I would investigate

IE.>Internet Options>Connection and have a look to see if "Never dial a connection" has a blob in its circle.

But do take into account that I am talking steam driven W98SE

As far as the connection without a router is concerned his modem will connect when he boots up his machine won't it?

[Irene]

Alan, we're on BT Broadband.

I have a wireless router plugged into my desktop PC - the router is a Zoom ADSL X6. The wireless bit of it is for the laptop.

I never have to log in. What do you want me to look at for settings?

[andsome]

Alan if you look at my first reply, my daughter can now just double click the ISP icon and the connection is automatic. I have now remembered who the ISP is, it is Pipex. She now just double clicks PIPEX BROADBAND and is connected within two or three seconds without any need to click onto dial up. As I said I cannot remember exactly what I did, but I seem to recall that in the past she had to click onto Pipex B and then from a window that opened she had to click on dial up. The whole thing took about ten to fifteen seconds. I did something to enable a connection without the dial up click, but cannot remember without the computer in front of me exactly what I did. Have a play around. :D

[Irene]

I've been having a think about it and I'm certain that the only time I had to press anything to connect, was when I was on dial-up.

In the Explorer Internet properties, it is set as a LAN Connection and the box "Automatically detect settings" is checked.

I wonder if they are set to use a proxy server?

Sounds as if I know what I'm talking about, but I don't!! :lol:

[Dencandy]

Sounds as if I know what I'm talking about, but I don't!! :lol:

I like your honesty, Irene.

[rong]

The only thing I can add is that when I was using a modem I had a short cut button that would start my connection and was happy with it that way and sometimes wish my internet connection wasn't on, saying that I have someone on BT Broadband (in fact two) with a modem and theirs starts if they open IE7 so there must be an option somewhere and it's possible I did it. The other thing is the dial up thing only comes up when the other fails and should be cancelled. They also have two short cuts on their desktops for BT, one will open the connection the other usually messes up. this may not help but is all I know.

[CurlyWhirly]

I take it from the lack of answers to my question that none of our members can help.

Is it always necessary when using broadband connected via a telephone line - without a router - to have to manually click on connect (or dial up) to connect to broadband or is there a way of setting it up so that when you boot up you are connected automatically. If so - how.

It is kinda important because one of my friends only connects when he wants to go on the web - which is infrequent and not for long periods - and AVG may not be in the mood to download updates at that time.

I've never been on BT Broadband but I know a friend who is on it and he has never had to connect through a dial-up connection dialogue box.

Anyway, I thought that broadband was entirely seperate from dial-up and always on

[Gandalph]

Evening Curly.

I'm on BT Broadband and it is always on, which Broadband should be. I have never had to mess about to connect to anything. I can't understand how or what your friend is doing. I'm connected by Ethernet from the router to the Computer but the same applies, if your friend is connected to his router via USB. It should always be on. My Router is the BT 1020.

Ask him to go to this website and check it is detecting his Router and Computer http://bthomehub.home/

[alex_333]

If your mate is using AVG, cant he just connect using the dodgy dial option, get his internet going as per norm, and manually click "update" on AVG?

Thats what i have to do on my Dial up connection, anyway. ( i did on my old broadband connection, because i got fed up with it making the computer go laggy for about 10 minutes whilst it did it, so i turned off auto update.)

Thinking about it, maybe he's turned off auto update somewhere as well ?

It might be easier to have a fiddle with the AVG settings than the internet settings. It has been for me with various applications over time, ive spend hours of my time re-installing various broadband connections because ive messed them up!

hope that helps :D

alex

[Lamb Chop]

Alan - being a learner still I may help.

I am using broadband via Telstra phone lines which is the Australian equivalent to British Telecom. ( not sure of your set up there but here Telstra owns the lines and other companies buy time for their telephones, or broadband link ups etc.)

ADSL which is only way available except for satellite to get broadband in Tasmania as yet. 1500/256 fastest available.

Hope to get ADSL 2 some day along with digital TV but I live in the country, on the edge of the ocean and no city for miles so we get updated last :D

Having started off on dial up as only available means - where you have the computer connected to the telephone line and then changing over to broadband, no one told me to disconnect the computer from the telephone line.

I found out the hard way when changing over to this new computer and having a connection that went from the phone line to the computer and no port on the Dell. So I then panicked thinking what do I do now :0

Then rang a Professional computer place in nearest city and the bloke there kindly told me that I didn't need it for broadband. See it is something most techs know but not me.

Anyway - on XP broadband you have two connections windows.

Start=connections=your ISP - which in my case is DLink PPO E Australia.

or the little window which connects you and has a place to check for auto connection which is what most programs use to connect to the internet if you are off line at time and call them up. It makes the computer connect automatically on boot up.

If any of those who have problems were originally on old dial up via telephone - do check they had the cable linking the computer to the telephone line taken out. As like myself they may have not been told to disconnect it etc.

Also which I suspect led to some of my problems with connection over the last 2 or more years and drop outs which I was told may be because of distance to the telephone exchange.

A simple thing like that can seemingly muck up the computer and you, being a tech, you never probably think of it as you think we learners or users without a lot of knowledge know it anyway or so I think

Happens on programs too - we learners struggle with some and then find out it was a simple little thing we didn't know but no one told us as they all thought everyone knew it anyway

Like Nellie taught me to cut and paste as I tried and tried and she realized I didn't know to highlight it first.

See

Also what confused me is that even though on broadband the modem/router still dials and when I rang my ISP re drop outs on old computer, they always ask are you on dial up broadband? No wonder I get confused even if every moment these days are Senior ones ROFL.

[Watchful]

I am on BT Broadband which is connected via a router (Voyager 210 ADSL) and it is always connected.

On my desktop I have a Router Manager s/c which, if I lose connection at all, I go to to check it out.

Under Network Connections it just shows LAN or Hi-speed connections. Voyager USB etc. and I never have to go there or manually connect.

I shut-down the comp every night but when I boot-up it is automatically connected. You can also turn it off via the Router Manager but it's not necessary to do this.

As far as the Set-up goes, it was all done with the disk supplied with the router and I found it easy to follow. Have they got the disk?

There are no settings shown under Internet options and definitely no dialling required. It is a USB connection.

[AlanHo]

Thanks for the information. I gather from it that it is possible to set up a BT broadband connection that connects automatically each time you boot the computer. Next time I get called out to attend to one of my friends computer problems (and I will - as sure as eggs is eggs) I will have a go at setting it up.

Having said that - neither of them seem all that bothered about having to manually click on the connection.

[Lamb Chop]

I am on BT Broadband which is connected via a router (Voyager 210 ADSL) and it is always connected.

On my desktop I have a Router Manager s/c which, if I lose connection at all, I go to to check it out.

Under Network Connections it just shows LAN or Hi-speed connections. Voyager USB etc. and I never have to go there or manually connect.

I shut-down the comp every night but when I boot-up it is automatically connected. You can also turn it off via the Router Manager but it's not necessary to do this.

As far as the Set-up goes, it was all done with the disk supplied with the router and I found it easy to follow. Have they got the disk?

There are no settings shown under Internet options and definitely no dialling required. It is a USB connection.

I not only shut down my computer every night but I also turn off the power at the wall to save money. So when I turn back on power and then boot up it connects itself.

And yes my router is a USB connection and like yours it dials home.

It does dial though and has to or we would not need to pay anyone in particular if we didn't connect to the server of the ISP we pay now would we?

Also if you are on a single computer and not connected to a network within your home or office etc. you do not have LAN switched on at all and disable it.

Or you continually get the icon on your task bar saying a network cable is disconnected.

Under my network connections it shows my router and under that again LAN which is disabled.

[Watchful]

Well of course it dials but not that you are aware of it, as with a dial-up connection.

I was quoting the heading under Network Connections (mine is a single comp and obviously is the hi-speed internet) therefore it is not on a 'network', it actually says Local Connection 2.

My router is the Voyager which shows, as I said, under network connections.