Please tell me how to fix my computer problem!

[nicholas]

Ok, my computer has been broken for far too long now, a couple months, and I am at my wits end trying to fix it. I decided to try describing the problem here to see if anyone else has had this happen and/or knows what the problem is and how to fix it. So here goes.

Basically, the problem lies with using AIM, or Yahoo Messenger, or things like that. What it will do is boot me off of those and then back on all by itself. In the minute or so before the booting, I don't receive any IMs sent to me, and then as soon as it logs me back on, I get every IM all at once in a flood of IMs (IF i get them at all, which I sometimes don't).

Not sure if any of this info matters, but just wanted to throw out as much as possible in case something sounds like the culprit. I use a cable modem with Time Warner. My roommates are hooked up to the same connection via a router. (Their computer does this to them too). The problem didn't seem to start happening until we hooked our computers up to the router and were using the same internet connection, so maybe that has something to do with it. I don't really know.

All I DO know is that I'm missing way too many IMs and everyone thinks I am ignoring them, when in fact, I don't even know they are talking to me. I've been living with it hoping it would fix itself for a couple of months now, and just can't take it anymore.

Please help.

Thanks for any ideas. Now back to your regularly scheduled Disney chatting.

 

[DMC-12]

How many people are on your router?

It sounds like there is too much traffic going thru the router, and the packets are just getting lost in the process... so ... they start to lag... and your IM programs cut out... then all that info builds up in your router.... and when the IM programs do come back on line... you get nailed with a couple minutes worth of IM's.

You may need a static IP address, but I dont know if that will solve your problem... again.. it comes down to how many people are on your connection... and how much bandwith they are eating up.

 

[DMC-12]

also... (just thought of something else)

I think in AIM, there is a way for AIM itself, to figure out the best port to use on your router... might wanna give that a try... there should be detailed steps in the Help files in AIM.

(maybe all you guys are running thru the same port with your IM programs... that could screw things up)

 

[monorailmike]

It's the router. I don't think I have this problem with AIM. But for yahoo, you need to go in to the preferences, and then go to connection and try selecting firewall with no proxies option. That seem to fix the random disconnect issue for me.

 

[nicholas]

It's two computers hooked up.

And I knew this was going to happen. I'm so technologically stupid, I don't know what a word of that meant. LOL. I'll get a decoder ring and see if I can't sift through it a bit. I think the roommate might know what that stuff means.

But THANK YOU for the ideas! Let's hope one of them works.

And please keep the ideas coming in case those don't turn out to be the culprit.

Officially ignorant,
Nick

 

[dizneykev]

Ok, time to profess my geekdom. You difintitly have a problem which is due to your router. Your router is also what we call a NAT firewall. What happens is that this router gets the ip info from your cable modem and is the only component directly connected to the internet. This firewall/router, then in turn sets up it's own internal private network and assigns all of the computers connected to it a unique ip address. The reason for this is to keep others from being able to contact you directly via the internet (since your connection si always "on"). The way to fix this is through the web setup for your particular router and selecting "holes" for these services to pass through. Most firewalls on the market today have built in selections that you can choose to open up holes for popular programs like Yahoo, AIM, microsoft gaming, etc. All you need to do is configure it. Look in your manual that came with the router and look for the way to do this. it would be called something like "opening up ports" or giving certain applications DMZ (de-militarized zone) access.


Good luck!

Dizneykev

 

[nicholas]

OK, just thought I would update everyone.

I actually got a letter in the mail from my cable internet provider telling me that an IP (mine) has been trying to access other peoples' computers, and either I am breaking section 15c of my user agreement by doing this, or have gotten a virus which is doing it. They gave me some links to some computer scanning software, which I ran, and found 2 trojans and 2 worms. Since those were deleted, the problem seems to have stopped. I've now been online for over 14 hours without getting booted, so it appears the problem has been solved *crosses fingers*

Thanks everyone for all your ideas! It was so appreciated!

 

[NashvilleMouse]

Nicholas
If you have cable or DSL, consider getting a firewall software program. I have one that tells me all the "hits" on my IP address from outside computers. A firewall will protect you from these malicious computers. There are some people out there who can access your machine and use your resources to their own needs. Anyone could get hundreds of "bad hits" per day.

Good luck!