Chris wrote:
> I have a couple of problems with Windows Vista Home Premium that have both
> been getting worse and more frequent:
>
> * system freezes / crashes - the error reports suggest a problem with
> networking hardware, but the drivers seem to be completely up to date.
> One of the "solutions" did make reference to Vista having problems with
> older networking hardware, but wasn't clear on how to diagnose this, or
> tell which
> hardware gives a problem. My ADSL modem is quite old, so may be part of
> the problem - details below.
>
> * file downloads stop part way through - doesn't crash or give an error
> message, just stops saving any more data so the download process nevers
> ends
> (or gets timed out, depending on the application). I first noticed this
> as a problem with Windows Update, specifically the Windows Mail Junk email
> filter
> wouldn't download. The error report number was 800B0100, this suggested
> downloading the CheckSUR tool. I tried to download this tool, but
> couldn't
> do this due to the problem with downloading described above. The same
> problem with downloading files has since appeared with downloading files
> from other sites eg software for a Nokia phone, video and audio files on
> YouTube,
> BBC etc. Most recently, it has started affecting my Kaspersky AV - the
> updates get timed out so the AV is increasingly out of date.
>
> I'm not a very technical person so if replies could be pitched at your
> average dumb user I'd be very grateful.
>
> System details:
> Dell XPS M1330
> BIOS version Dell Inc. A12, 08/07/2008
> Vista 32 bit Home Premium, Version 6.0.6001 SP1 (SP2 update failed due to
> the downloading problem, but individual updates have been kept up to date
> apart from the Windows Mail one)
> Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 (Windows Firewall turned off as
> recommended to stop conflicts)
> MS Office 2007 Professional (so using Outlook rather than Windows Mail)
> Network adapter: Broadcom NetLink Fast Ethernet (type 802.3)
> ADSL modem: ASUS AAM6000EV (about 7 or 8 years old) plus a little 8 port
> hub, both been working fine forever
This definitely sounds like hardware. Since you have a laptop, you can't just
swap out the network adapter. To decide whether your ancient modem is
causing the issue (seems unlikely to me - I would think you'd just lose
connectivity) or the laptop's hardware, I'd boot with a Linux Live CD like
Knoppix. If all is well under Linux, then you know it's a software issue in
Windows. I'd start by completely uninstalling Kaspersky and testing. Because
your Asus is a router, you should be OK to test without an antivirus. Just
don't go surfing anywhere questionable.
If you still get system crashes using Knoppix, then take the laptop to a
friend's house and see if the problems occur on a different network. You can
go back to Windows for this. If the problems are there on a different
network, then you know the Broadcom network adapter is at fault.
Unfortunately, this is on the motherboard so you'll have to call Dell tech
support for a motherboard replacement.
You know yourself best and decide if it would be better to take the machine
to a competent local tech for testing/diagnosis. If you do this, don't use a
BigComputerStore/GeekSquad type of place.
Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ
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