PacBell DSL problems
Troy Wolverton
I'm located in San Francisco and use Pac Bell DSL at home. I have an
IBM 570E laptop computer that I use at work and at home. My laptop is
running Windows 2000 and it plugs into an Ethernet card here at the
office. I've never had any problems trying to access the Internet here
at work.
However, at home, I've had all kinds of connection problems. Like
other PacBell DSL users, I connect to their services using Enternet
300.
Usually, the first time I plug into DSL, I can't pull up a Web page.
Instead I get a "page not found" error and have to click on a "detect
network settings" button two or three times to finally get online.
Once I'm online, things are fine--until I walk away from my computer.
If I put my computer to sleep or if it goes to sleep automatically
because I've walked away from it, it will automatically disconnect
Enternet 300.
Sometimes I can reconnect to Enternet 300, sometimes I get an error
saying that it can't find an IP address and can't connect. Even if I
can reconnect to Enternet 300, I can no longer reach any Web pages.
Instead I keep getting "page not found errors." And, unfortunately,
clicking the "detect network settings" button no longer clears the
problem. Instead, the only way to fix the problem is to reboot my
computer.
I've tried calling PacBell's technical support folks, but they've been
less than helpful.
Anyway, this is a long-winded way of asking for help. First off, if
you have any general suggestions, they would be much appreciated.
One Usenet member, Anoop Ghanwani, seemed to have a similar problem
last year. (See: http://groups.google.com/groups?q=pacific+bell+dsl+connection+problems+windows+2000&hl=en&rnum=1&selm=3a444fdd%240%2422641%40wodc7nh0.news.uu.net)
He fixed the problem by upgrading his Enternet PPPoE software. It
could be that I need to upgrade mine also, but I'm not sure how to
find out.
Finally, does anyone have any suggestions on who to ask for over at
PacBell or how to reach someone who knows about this issue? I have yet
to find anyone there who recognizes this problem. Instead, they keep
having me perform the same network checks that never clear the
problem.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
Troy
tr...@cnet.com
the fly
In general, tech support from any of the baby Bells
sucks, real bad.
If you find anyone to talk to in Bell's tech support
who KNOWS ANYTHING, I'd like their phone number. I use
Southwestern Bell in the midwest, and have had a similar
experience to yours.
FWIW, my DSL experience got better when I bought a
router which included PPPoE service in its firmware, and
got rid of the Enternet300 software. I bought an Asante
Networks 4-port DSL router for the direct network
connection to the DSL modem. Since setting it up, my
mysterious disconnects and interruptions of service have
declined considerably.
Be warned: Bell's support people become even more
helpless when they learn you are not using Enternet300.
But you're essentially on your own, anyway.
Dr Arm®
> could be that I need to upgrade mine also, but I'm not sure how to
> find out.
>
> Finally, does anyone have any suggestions on who to ask for over at
> PacBell or how to reach someone who knows about this issue? I have yet
> to find anyone there who recognizes this problem. Instead, they keep
> having me perform the same network checks that never clear the
> problem.
I had a similar setup when I first got my PBI dsl installed. While I'm
sure that you would like to resolve the problem that you're having, may
I suggest that you buy a router and dispense with the Enternet
altogether? With the router your dsl will be always on and all you need
do is plug the PC into the router when you want to use the dsl. No need
to use the Enternet connection at all.
You neglect to say whether or not you are double clicking the Enternet
connection thing to make your connection or just firing up your browser.
Settings for automatic timeouts are under Internet Options in the
Windows Control Panel.
One thing that may cause you problems is if you don't have the telephone
microfilters installed and use the telephone. I had a cordless that
would cause my modem to lockup every time I made a phone call and only
powering off the modem and sometimes the router would clear the problem.
The microfilter solved that.
As for tech support at Pacbell, I found that only one out of three of
the technoidiots has any idea what is going on. If you're lucky you get
a good one that is willing to help you. Otherwise I believe they staff
the helplines by picking up a few of those "Will work for food" people
in the morning, they have about that much knowledge and the personality
of a John Navas.
da
Val Harrop
"Dr Arm®" <Genuin...@Yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3C3102...@Yahoo.com...
Try this site for excellent pppoe information:
www.carricksolutions.com
Val
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Dr Arm®
Be warned: Bell's support people become even more
> helpless when they learn you are not using Enternet300.
> But you're essentially on your own, anyway.
That's a good point, If you need help fromthe techhidiots the only way
they'll help you is if you're connecting with the Enternet. That's the
only reason that I still leave the enternet on my PC.
da
Troy Wolverton
(http://user.cs.tu-berlin.de/~normanb/) last night and it seems to
have solved the problem. I've put my computer to sleep and have
allowed it to go to sleep automatically and both times I've been able
to reconnect to DSL and browse without a hitch--and without having to
reboot my computer.
Just FYI, before installing RASPPPoE, I installed Windows 2000 service
pack 2 and upgraded Enternet 300 from version 1.5 to 1.5b. Neither
solved the problem.
tr...@cnet.com (Troy Wolverton) wrote in message news:<7e0b207e.01123...@posting.google.com>...