Driving me nuts - browser keeps timing out despite fixes

[Pugrider]

I have read through this and other forums in the hopes of finding a solution to my problem.  I am running Windows XP SP3, and with either Firefox or IE8 after 5-10 minutes my browser times out and won’t load any pages.  The only ways I can restore connectivity to the browser is to reboot or run the VPN software I use for work – once I establish a VPN connection there are no more time outs.  I thought that it might be a router or firewall problem, so I am now using opendns.org (both router and Windows fixes) and Malwarebytes for my protection software.  However, none of these changes has fixed the problem!  Is it possible that the Windows firewall is causing this?  I have been hesitant to turn it off.  I am hoping someone else has had this same problem and has a great solution they can suggest.

My thanks in advance for your help.

Pugrider

P.S. In the time it took me to write this post the server had timed out.  I rebooted any typed this is Word so I wouldn’t lose it…

[mleduc35651]

You could definetly try turning off the firewall temporarily. See if the problem goes away. then turn it back on.

[Pugrider]

Thanks, I tried turning off the Microsoft firewall and it had no effect.  I think it must be a setting common to both Firefox and IE that is causing the time out, perhaps because of a bad interaction with the router.  If it was a connectivity problem then VPN would not work either, but it does. 

Any other suggestions of settings I might try changing on the browser?  Thanks.

Pugrider

[VZ_Kevin]

 Have you checked/cleared your proxy settings? What happens when you're running in safe mode?

[Pugrider]

I am not sure how to check/clear my proxy settings unless you mean the radio buttons in XP and the two browsers.  All are set for no proxy.  Did you mean something else?  Thanks.

Jim

[Pugrider]

Well, still no solution.  Verizon sent me to their "Expert Care" department, where for $24.95 per month minimum 10 month commitment they would TRY to help me solve this problem.  I said nerts to that, and was transferred back to the regular FiOS help line, where they decided to send me a new router.  I don't think that is the proble, but I guess it is worth a shot. 

Pugrider

[Pugrider]

Okay, I have a partial solution but one remaining question.

I am now convinced that the problem is my ethernet card is falling asleep and not waking up.  Searching the web revelaed that this is not an uncommon problem.  I received a response email from Actiontec, the maker of my FiOS router.  It indicated that the reason I was able to establish a VPN connection after my web browser had lost internet connectivity was that VPN acts as a pass through on their router.  However, the VPN software is clearly "waking up the ethernet card, because even after I disconnect the VPN connection my browser continues to work.  The Actiontec email suggested I take a look at the Windows and Ethernet card power management features, as they are notoriously flaky.  Here is what I have done to date:

Removed all traces of the McAfee anti-virus software.  Just running the Windows de-install won't remove all parts of this program.  Do a Google search and you will find a program from McAfee that removes the rest. 

I went into Control panel to Power Options and switched to "always on".  Make sure hibernation is not activated.

I went into Control panel to Network connections to check the configuration of my ethernet card (Intel(R) PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter).  Under the Power Management tab I turned off "reduce link speed during standby" and under Wake on LAN checked "wake on directed packet."  At first I turned everything off, but with some experiementation found that checking the "directed packet" option seemed to help with losing connectivity.  However, this may be incorrect.

I updated my BIOS from version A07 to A09.  Under Power Management the choices were S1 and S3.  S3 was active, so I switched to S1, and that seemed to help.  I could not find a way to turn off power management altogether or an "always on" option.  After reading a little on the internet S3 appears to be hibernation, whereas S1 is just the CPU powering down.  Again, I have no idea if this is correct or not.

I updated the drivers on my ethernet card.  This had no effect i could detect.

After all of that, my internet conection still times out after 10 minutes unless I establish a VPN connection and then disconnect it.  Once I do that the ethernet card stays awake and I have no other issues. So, can anyone tell me what setting I need to change or what else I can do to keep my ethernet card awake?  All suggestions are welcome.  Thanks.

Pugrider

[tsauter1]

Open Network connections, right click the NIC and select properties, click configure, go to advanced tab and make sure the Wake UP Capabilities is set to Wake up frame. Other than that i think you have done most of the needed changes.

[Pugrider]

tsauter,

I followed your directions but did not find a "wake up capabilities" option under the advanced tab.  To be clear, the advanced tab goes to the firwall settings, is that where you wanted me to go?  In the ethernet card itself there is no "advanced" tab.  Keep in mind i am running Windows XP SP3, just in case this is a feture under Vista or 7.

Pugrider

[tsauter1]

---

@Pugrider wrote:

tsauter,

I followed your directions but did not find a "wake up capabilities" option under the advanced tab.  To be clear, the advanced tab goes to the firwall settings, is that where you wanted me to go?  In the ethernet card itself there is no "advanced" tab.  Keep in mind i am running Windows XP SP3, just in case this is a feture under Vista or 7.

Pugrider

---

I just want to make sure you followed all the steps. Did you click the configure button once the properties page was open? You are correct that the the advanced tab on the main properties page goes to the firewall settings, However if you click the CONFIGURE button in the upper right portion of the page it will take you to the properties of the NIC itself instead of the properties for the connection. From there you can configure multiple settings that apply only to the NIC. There are more advanced configuration options in this area. As well as the advanced tab there is also a power mangement tab that allows you to control the NIC and not the OS connection settings.

I am assuming you have not been there so you should also go the Power managemant tab and make sure that all check marks are cleared. 

[Pugrider]

tsauter,

Thanks for the fast response.  First, I was obviously wrong, as when I went into the ethernet card configuration i did not see the "advanced" tab.  However, once I went in I found the following options, none of which lead to a "wake up capabilties" option.  Here are the options I see:

Gigabit master slave

jumbo frames

locally admin address

log link state

performance options

Qos packet

tcp/ip offloading options

wait for link

I went into all of them, including "performance options", and could not find anything that looked like "wake up cabailities".  What am I missing?  Thanks for your patience.

Pugrider

[tsauter1]

Unfortunately I am out of ideas. Other than checking the power management options in the NIC properties. Some where in that screen, there should be a place to adjust the power options for the NIC. As i am unformiliar with your NIC I can't say where it will be. For mine it is a tab, but I know other NIC's have it other places. Go back into the configure properties and look for the power management. Once you find it there should be an option with a check box that says "allow the computer to turn this device off". Make sure that option is not checked. That check mark was always the culprit when I ran acrros this type of problem at work.

Hope it helps!

[denison4]

Check the LAN port settings in the computer BIOS program (hit DEL key at bootup or another on some computers) and make sure there's no timeout set in the BIOS.  Also check the computer's hibernate settings. I had a computer that would go into hibernate and when it came back on the LAN part wouldn't work. As I recall, I solved that problem by turning on the "WOL" or wake on LAN mode in the BIOS, even though that's not the way it was supposed to work.