Different chips start cutting out at different voltages. Strange things occur when things we take for granted start to change mildly. Intermittent failure is so typical of PSU problems and a few other sources. Is it the PSU? It could also be a number of other related problems. But this simple lesson about solving hardware intermittents from one who has been solving intermittents long before there were PCs. Take the power supply DC voltage measurements.

Not only must numbers be in spec, but some at the lower end of spec require further evaluation. Do not wildly replace a PSU or anything else until first establishing basic parameters. And do not use the motherboard based voltage monitor for a voltage measurement. That monitor is only relevant to detect changes - not reliable enough for actual measurements.

XP keeps system logs. What do they say?

New information on my problem. This weekend I couldn't get on the internet again, but I decided to try playing a game of risk over the dorm's network and it worked. So their is obviuosly not a problem with the network card but some software configureation that isn't working. Kind of strange, I'm still completely baffled but I'm dealing with it, it's really almost better as I spend about 1/4 of the time I used to on the Net.

Is the RISK connection TCP-IP based, or does it use NetBIOS/Windows networking stuff?

I don't believe you can remove TCP/IP in WinXP. You can reset it via Start > Run > cmd > netsh int ip reset logfilename.txt. Running it a second time will append the results in logfilename.txt.

Could also try uninstalling the NIC, and reinstall using the latest drivers for your card. Does another NIC give you the same problem? Also, sometimes Windows is a bit funny about which PCI slots the cards are installed in.

Okay, that looks better. %@^# brackets. Logfilename is whatever you want to call it. I call mine reset.txt.

actually it's an onboard NIC, intel 10/100 pro I believe, I can't remember the exact model number and I'm not at my comp right now. I'm actually planning on buying a new NIC today and hopefully installing tonight or tomorrow and seeing what happens with that.

I'll try your idea on resetting my TCI/IP hopefully that will do something new, I hadn't tried that before.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe it has something to do with DNS servers becuase phoenix just sits there saying "resolving host google.com" or whatever I type in as the address until it finally comes up with a can't find site message. I'm probably dead wrong on that but who knows. Linux has been giving me some of the same problems recently but I think that has more to do with me messing with my host name than anything.

So somehow I missed UT's post :(. The RISK connection is TCP/IP.

I bought a new NIC today and got it configured both in windows and Linux, now the real test, I'm going to work for a couple hours and hoping that when I get back I can still use the internet.

When you miss my messages YOU RISK PERIL! HEED my warning before it's TOO LATE!

OK.

If your card was able to do TCP/IP to the local network (the dorm might be one class C) but not to the net in general, that is more likely to be a settings problem than a problem with the card. The card is getting a lot done just to talk with other interfaces and that kinda rules out hardware.

But not completely! It might still come under the heading of Weird Things That Are Never Supposed To Happen.

The Cellar's own NIC had such an occurrence over the weekend, when it suddenly decided to quit routing altogether, although it reported no errors and reset properly through a reboot. It took a hard reset - turning the entire system off - to get it flying again. And all the while I was saying "...well here's something that shouldn't fix this problem."

Commodity hardware: all right-thinking people should hate it.

okay so I'm crossing my fingers, 2 hours at work and my internet worked when I got back without a reboot, hopefully this is a sign that my problem was with the NIC. I'll have to leave it on overnight and then try Windows tomorrow during the day to see if it's fixed but so far it's all good.

Overnight and still working this morning, I pretty sure I fixed it, still makes no since but hey I'm happy now, thanks everyone for your help.