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General discussion

DUN won't disconnect when idle

Jul 23, 2008 11:32AM PDT

I have had this problem for the past 10 years on 2 different PC's, with different OS's, different ISP's and different browsers. It can be a real hassle for me because it ties up my phone line. I have a memory disorder and have trouble remembering to disconnect by DUN when I'm done working on my PC. I've finally decided to seek help. I bought a brand new PC a year ago, I use Firefox Version 2.0.0.16 and I have Windows Vista installed.

I have checked the following 2 options in my Internet options to:
*Disconnect if idle for 30 minutes
*Disconnect when connection may no longer be needed

Yet, my DUN won't disconnect under any circumstance and will stay connected for hours and hours. I do have my power down option to have my PC go to sleep, but I didn't have this enabled with my old PC when I had this same problem.

Any help that you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Discussion is locked

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Sorry.
Jul 23, 2008 9:40PM PDT

But Windows has grown old and fails in this area too often. I don't expect this feature of autodisconnect to work today RELIABLY and in some cases never.

You may want to try a Macintosh next time.
Bob

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Disconnet when idle
Jul 26, 2008 12:24AM PDT

When I click on the upper right X of my home page of internet provider I get a message asking if I want to disconnect. I click yes and it disconnects. There have been once or twice that my phone line is still connected, however, in those cases I just pulled out my phone line from my laptop and that cut off my phone line. Sometimes you have to fool the computer. Don't know if this helps but from time to time I just pick up my phone to make sure I have a dial tone. Then I know for sure that I am not on the internet connection.

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Thanks so much for responding
Jul 29, 2008 4:32AM PDT

Thanks so much for responding, even though your reply didn?t help my particular situation. It was very kind and sweet of you to try to help me and I really appreciate it! I don?t have any problem disconnecting my Internet connection. In Windows? ?Internet Options? (which can be accessed via Control Panel in most Windows versions by clicking the ?Internet and/or Network? icon, then click the ?Connections? tab and click the ?Settings? button. Then you click on the ?Advanced? button. There is an option to ?Disconnect if idle for ___ minutes? (you can set the number of minutes you want). This option comes in real handy (when it works) in times that you leave your computer running and forget to disconnect from the Internet. Windows will automatically disconnect your Internet connection for you after the computer is idle for the amount of time you set under this option. I have a memory disorder and continually forget to manually disconnect my Internet connection. What happens is many times while working on my PC, I have to get up and walk around every 15 minutes or so and I will end up getting distracted doing something else. My phone line will be tied up the entire day because I forgot to disconnect from the Internet. I have other roommates that also get very angry when I tie up the phone in this manner. This can be a real sticky situation. Maybe I can locate a software program that will accomplish this task for me since Mr. Profit believes this option to be flawed in the Windows operating system. Thanks again!

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Firewall?
Jul 29, 2008 7:26AM PDT

I wonder if this is an ISP problem.

Your ISP may be sending packets to your system to check on various things, all quite normal, and it is that which makes the system think that the connection is still active.

If that is the case, then a firewall may be the answer. With a firewall you can "Lock" the internet down and stop all internet activity. That may give the idle command time to kick in.

The only problem I could see is that the firewall is software that is installed on your computer system and so any packets that are sent thru the dial-up connection will still, in effect, arrive at the computer. But as the firewall is supposed to sit between the connection and the Operating System, it may still work.

Do you have a firewall now? If so, right click the icon in the System tray, (where the clock is), and see if there is an option to stop the internet activity.

Mark

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Firewall
Jul 31, 2008 12:45AM PDT

I don't have an icon for my Firewall in my System Tray. I did open my Firewall Settings through Control Panel since I have the Firewall that came with Windows Vista. It has an option I can check to:

Block All Incoming Connections (Select this option to you connect to less secure Networks. All exceptions will be ignored and you will not be notified when Windows Firewall blocks programs)

Is this the setting you are referring to? If so, do I just check it and leave it and see if my connection disconnects automatically?

The thing is, I also couldn't get the DUN Disconnect Option to work on my old computer. I had an old Compaq 992 with Win95 & no Firewall, no Anti virus, etc. My sister has the same PC & OS as I do now and hers works but mine doesn't. I was thinking there might be a setting in my Internet Options that maybe I'm checking that I shouldn't be or not checking when I should be.

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Vista
Jul 31, 2008 9:01AM PDT

i see you told us in your first post that you are usng Vista, but I missed that. I still have XP, and as Vista is quite different, I fear I can offer little further advice.

Also, using Vista's firewall is different to using a 3rd party firewall application like I do, (I use ZoneAlarm). With me it is easy to right click the firewall icon in the System Tray, and lock the internet. With the Windows firewall, as you have just explained, you have to take extra steps, and the problem is, if you are having memory problems anyway, it may be just as likely you will forget to do that, as it is to disconnect the DUN yourself.

I am not sure what the solution is in your particular circumstances.

Those Internet Options should work. They do on mine, (or they did when I used dial-up). But clearly on your computer that is not the case.

I do have 'one' idea, low tech, and it may make give you a laugh whenever you see/use it. Happy

If you use a Desktop background picture, amend it to show a note to yourself, like in this example;
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6449/dunoc9.jpg

Just remember to change it if you know you are having friends or relatives around. They don't need to see it, Devil

But other than that, I am at a loss.

Mark

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DUN won't disconnect when idle
Aug 3, 2008 8:41AM PDT

Mark:
Thank you for all of your help! I really do appreciate your efforts. That desktop reminder is a good idea. I think that might work! Thanks again.

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disconnect modem using hyperterm
Jan 11, 2009 2:52AM PST

There are two ways that i can think of to fix this:
1. use hyperterm (complicated but software easy)
2. manual disconnect (easy but physically annoying)

You can use hyperterm to connect / disconnect; however hyperterm is no longer included with vista; so to get it
1. find a computer with xp on it
2. copy hypertrm.exe, hypertrm.chm, hypertrm.hlp, and hypertrm.dll
3. to the vista as here:
c:\program files\windows nt\hypertrm.exe
c:\windows\system32\hypertrm.dll
c:\windows\help\hypertrm.chm
c:\windows\help\hypertrm.hlp

setup the connection in hyperterm and dial you be greeted with the login prompt. then when finished click the disconnect button

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using the manual method
go to radio shack and get a 3-4 ft phone cord and a inline coupler
plug the 4 ft cord into the back of your computer and then mount the coupler where you can reach it then plug the phone cord from the wall into the coupler; then whenever you want to disconnect just unplug the cord; crude but should work just as well