Intermittent, brief internet disconnect/reconnections

[norcaldrifter]

Hi,

Ive had this problem for about 2 months and it is getting progressivly worse. I'll write this in a list fashion so it is easier to locate information and organize whats going on. Symptoms, general setting, hardware used, and things Ive done to try to fix the problem.

Symptoms:
- One computer drops internet connection for 2-3 seconds seemingly at random
- it automatically reconnects
- happens about once every 15 minutes but can happen even more frequently
- other devices on the same network do not have this problem it is specific to this machine

General Setting:
- I live in a townhome that has cat6 in the walls and outlets that go to the top floor where the modem and router are.
- I have 2 Pc's both with windows 7 in separate rooms both using wired internet connections.
- I have numerous wireless devices running on the same network like roku box, tablets, and phones.
- ISP has been here numerous times and checked the cable connection to the modem and also used the sniffer on the outlets throughout the house.
- Isp tech support says they don't see a problem from their side

Hardware:
computer
Processor: i5 2500k bought(2011)
MOBO: Gigabyte p67a-ud7-b3 bought(2011)
network adapter on mobo: Realtek PCIe GBE
OS Windows 7 64bit

Router
Asus RT-AC87U
Modem cisco dcp 3010

Things Ive done to no avail
- I bought the asus router because I had a really old router and I figured that may have been the problem
- Restacked ip/tcp using the command prompts ipconfig / flushdns nbstat -R nbstat-rr netsh int reset all netsh int ipv4 reset netsh int ipv6 reset netsh winsock reset
- bought a Asus wireless usb card and got on wifi in home
- moved the tower upstairs to use the wall socket that the other pc uses just fine
- moved the other pc downstairs and it worked just fine in both cases i left the cat6 in their place and swapped JUST the towers.
-went to gigabytes site and downloaded all the drivers and installed them for the network adapters
- Downloaded malware bytes, and panda antivirus which cleaned out a few viruses.
- used system restore set for as far back as it had for memory (like 4 months)

NOTE: I had Hamachi and Evolve on my computer when this was going down and I have uninstalled them and deleted remnants in program files.

I'm out of ideas besides replacing the mobo but I want to make sure that it is a hardware issue and not a setting in windows or a virus that hasen't been detected.

 

[non-smoker pete]

I will probably regret opening this can of worms, but here are a few suggestions to help you narrow this down and hopefully figure out what is going wrong with your network connections.

Finding an intermittent hardware problem can be difficult, but this method has worked for me countless times over the last 15 years, and I suspect it can help you.

First, I suggest you install Linux on a flash drive, then boot your system and run Linux to test your hardware. This is MUCH easier than you might think, and you can do it without harming your existing Windows installation. Even better, you can use the same flash drive to test any other flaky hardware in the future. Keep it handy and you will find yourself using it whenever something goes wrong. For example, if your optical burner stops working, boot into Linux and use the burner. If it doesn't work, the hardware is defective. If it works properly, you have a Windows (OS) problem or a software (APP) problem.

You can download a good (older, easy to use) version of Ubuntu Linux here:

http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/releases/10.04.3/ubuntu-10.04.4-desktop-i386.iso

it is a 700 MB file. Save it someplace easy to find it, maybe the Windows Desktop.

Next, you'll need an installer program to put Ubuntu on the flash drive. I recommend the YUMI installer here, which works with the most popular Linux distributions here:

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multiboot-usb-creator/

There is a link to the installer file on that page, along with a pictorial on how to use YUMI to install Ubuntu on your flash drive.

Follow the pictorial to create the Ubuntu flash drive, then boot the problematic system with the Ubuntu flash drive and test your network. I suggest downloading a large file (or files) to see what happens. Ubuntu should automatically detect your network, and Firefox is pre-installed, ready for use. Do the same things that cause you problems under Windows; if the problems appear in Linux, you have a hardware error. If you have no problems using your network with Linux, you have a Windows problem or a software problem.

Good luck with this, please let us know what happens...

 

[norcaldrifter]

Thanks for the great idea. Unfortunatey, it did not work out. As soon as I booted ubuntu after about 5 minutes of idle i had a D/C that lasted about 4 seconds. Then I downloaded flash player and watched a stream for about 10 minutes before another disconnect.

Because of this result does this mean:

It cannot be a virus?
It cannot be a setting in windows?
It CAN be my router?
It Can be my MOBO?

Ran a speedtest.net and pingtest.net

with the result of 56mbs download 17ms ping 0% packet loss and 2% jitter.
so it seems like when I am connected I get great internet quality.

 

[non-smoker pete]

Please think about this for a moment; you were running Ubuntu Linux from a flash drive when the problem occurred, which means it isn't a Windows problem, because you didn't boot into Windows at all. Your router is running Linux, and your symptoms indicate an intermittent hardware problem, not the activity of any type of malware, which would probably do a lot more than simply drop your internet connection for a few seconds.

Given that the OS isn't the problem, because you used an entirely different OS with different drivers and a different file system, you are most likely looking at a defective NIC. If the chip is overheating, it can shut down for a few seconds until it cools off. Once it cools, it will work again until the next time it overheats.

In light of what we now know, I would focus on the NIC before anything else. Try a different NIC and see if the problem disappears. If it does, you've solved the problem. If it doesn't, move the NIC to a different slot and try it again. If you still have problems after that, the router is the next suspect. The LAN port you're using could be flaky, the router might need a firmware upgrade, a cable or connector could be defective, or something similar could be crapping out.

You've done well to narrow this down so quickly, now take it to the next level by focusing on the most likely suspects before you decide what to do next.

 

[norcaldrifter]

So if it was the NIC I would have to buy another NIC inorder to test that theory? The usb wifi card that I have wouldn't do me any good in in bypassing the nic?

Also my board has dual LAN and says it has "2 physical gigabit lan chips"a are those separate NICs?

 

[non-smoker pete]

Actually, you don't have two discrete NICs, but the board DOES have two individual NIC chips on it, as you can see in this photo at the top edge:

http://www.gigabyte.com/fileupload/product/2/3761/3922_big.jpg

Look for the words "Smart Dual LAN" on the top of the board in the picture, right below it you will see a small black chip, with an identical chip to the lower-right of it. Those chips are the NIC chips...

In the next photo, you'll see the dual NIC connectors in the backplane:

http://www.gigabyte.us/fileupload/product/2/3761/3923.jpg

Simply switch the cable to the unused connector and test the system again. You can test it with Ubuntu and Windows to see if there is a difference in performance.

Please keep us posted on your results...

 

[JFtech]

Am I understanding correctly that you tried using an Asus USB wireless card to connect to the internet and still experienced the same problem? If so, that would rule out the NIC as the source of the problem.