Hello to all, this is my first posting so I hope its in the correct section.
I am having a problem with a dell laptop Inspiron 1000, using windows xp home.
We operate a home net work with Orange being the isp, the main desktop is connected to the wanadoo box via an ethernet cable and the laptops wirelessly connect to the box and connect to the net via Mozilla Firefox.
The dell laptop which is mainly used by my 16yrs old grandson has recent started to fail to connect or drop out.
The puzzling thing is that when searching for the reason & looking in control panel the icon & connection details have disappeared from internet connections.
I have tried uninstalling & reinstalling the software and for a while it all ok, at other times I have just restored the operating system to an earlier date.
Have we picked up some kind of virus? The anti virus says all ok.
We regularly clean up temp internet files & the registry.
The other laptops we use are all ok, so whats going on.
Thankful for any help.

Do you mean that you have a wireless router that your laps connect to? Have you ever tried connecting direct to cable to see if the connection loss stops?

The wanadoo box is a wireless router supplied by the isp.
My desktop pc connects to the box & the internet via an ethernet cable.
The laptops connect through a wireless system set up in the house.
all the laptops use a small wireless connect er plugged into the usb port.
I have not tried connecting the problem laptop by cable as this would involve installing
different software, & would only prove the new set up was ok.
I have tried swapping connection devices & various combinations but it still boils down to this one laptop
looses its settings.
we have three laptops in total, both the other 2 are ok but are never all online at the same time.
Since the original posting the laptop has behaved, but on past experience dont know how long for.
The one in question is mainly used by my grandson to go on Msn messenger chatting & visit free games sites
so dont know if some program is changing the settings?
Thank you replying.

If you are running Windows XP this would not involve installing any software. XP already has internet software for cable, and your mainboard has a cable connection on the rear. And what is wrong with proving that the new setup is ok? If you cannot access the internet by directly plugging your cable into the mainboard port, that would tell you that there is something wrong with the mainboard.

No legitimate program will change your settings. If you are having problems, it is either your ISP or your computer, or a virus (I doubt that it is your ISP since your other two computers run perfectly). That leaves only the configurations or a virus on your computer. Since it seems to run well with intermittent problems, try swapping one of the wireless dongles you have and see if the problems stop.

Releasing your grandson on the internet, downloading games off websites, is playing Russian Roulette with viruses. Run your antivirus for a complete, in-depth scan on his computer. If no joy, post a Hijack This log in our Malware forum for one of our experts to analyze.

The router provided by my isp is permanently live and is constantly being updated
& the only way of connecting to the internet is through it.
Xp cannot use these broadband settings, and to connect the laptop via cable would involve taking my desktop
offline.
Since the problem happens at infrequent intervals I would have to run the laptop for a week or more to prove the point. As I mentioned earlier have tried all the other dongles & cables without it making any difference.
It always boils down to the settings not being shown in the internet connections file.
I have tried uninstalling & reinstalling the isp's software on several occasions.
I have run the anti virus checks with various programs & all came up clear.
Just last night I was on line when the connection failed, so looked at the internet connection in control panel & it had disappeared.
Switched laptop off & restarted, all came back up.
If the problem was with the dongle or its usb cable the system would say that it could not see it.
So perhaps the problem is with the motherboard.
Anyway thank you for advice