AOL Broadband

[Gills_fan]

Hello,

I've been using AOL Brodband successfully for a about a year now and lately ive been getting a pop-up in the lower right-hand corner of the screen that says, "A network cable is unplugged" about every 5 mins over and over and over.

I saw a number of other posts regarding this error message, but they all pertained to computers which are networked. Mine is not on a network, it's a stand-alone machine.

How on earth can I get it to go away? I've spoken with half dozen AOL Tech support people who cannot solve the problem.

The Facts:
Windows XP
AOL Gold
BT Voyager 105 USB ADSL modem

(Please type in small words, as you can probably tell, I am a bit "technically challenged" when it comes to computers)

Thanks!
Gary

 

[fitzjj]

When you connect to AOL you are using a USB modem which is in effect a network in that it works in the same way and is configured through windows in the same way that you would a proper network.

I am assuming it is one of the windows bubbles you are seeing in the bottom right. if so:

I would suggest turning everything off and unlpugging it then plugging it back in again, and hope this works otherwise there are some other options:

> one of the cables is dying

> Your modem is dying

> Your computer is getting old and past it

> Your service from AOL has gotten pretty bad

Let me add more to the last two points. USB requires use of the processor through the southbridge of your chip so if you are doing lots of intensive work and/or have loads of things plugged into your computer there is a chance that it will die every now and then on a slow computer. Let me emphasize the slow though, you would be hard pushed to find a computer that cannot deal with a USB modem. Is your computer old or running really really slow? - i would guess not otherwise you would have mentioned it.

As for service from ALO being poor i dont know if this would cause that message to appear, to test it pull your phone line out of your modem whilst connected to the internet. If you get the message then it is possible that it is just shoddy service from AOL (which most people on this forum would not be surprised by and would explain why their tech support cannot help - they are not going to tell you they are crap)

... The most likely cause thogh is a bad cable so check that first.

 

[str8lazy]

Yeah definately check your RJ-11 cable lol that is a telephone cable if you dont know, it might just be your service, just call them a bunch and get them to come out and check on signal strength.

 

[T22 4me]

Maybe this will Help.................My Laptop is the same way although I am on a LAN and have Verizon DSL instead of AOL.

The reason mine Does it is because I have two network cards installed.The rj45 that came with the machine and a Belkin pcmcia card.so................one of them is always unplugged...................

Could you have a network setup on your puter even though you are not using it?.............As in second hand puter

 

[shootdamonkey]

can you still connect to aol, if so it just means that its not using your network card. Thats because its a usb modem.

 

[Gills_fan]

Yeah i can still log on to aol but every 5 mins it comes up in the bottom corner that the network connection is unplugged.

 

[shindigy]

Gills_fan, it sounds like the network card on your computer is not connected to anything and this is causing the bubble. The fix is to disable the network port on your computer.


How to disable a network port on a Win XP computer :

1st) Click the start button
2nd) Click 'Control Panel'
3rd) Double Click on 'Network Connections'
One of the two connections will be listed as not connected; this is the connection that is causing the bubble to keep popping up.
4th) RIGHT click on the connection that is listed not connected.
5th) Click 'Disable'

FYI: If you ever need to use the network port just reenable it by right clicking on the disabled connection and clicking on 'Enable'.

 

[Gills_fan]

if its not connected it says its Disabled anyway??? Could the internet connection have a bug or virus???

 

[shindigy]

I'm sorry, I'm not following your question. Are you trying to ask if you disabled the connection will the balloon keep popping up? If this is the question, the answer is no, once a connection is disabled there will be no more balloons for that connection. The only place where you would see disabled connections is in Network Connections.

Gills_fan, After you disable the unused network connections do you still get the balloon?

 

[Gills_fan]

Yeah.