Printer(s)/Broadband Connection Conflict

[Kharis]

My diagnostic skills are being pushed to the limit by a strange quirk that plagues both my girlfriend's PC, and my Dad's. As soon as their printers are used, the broadband connections are lost, and cannot be recovered unless the machine is rebooted. Both PC's are running Windows XP, but the problem first reared it's ugly head on my girlfriend's PC, which was running Windows Milenium at the time, It started with a Hewlett Packard 640C printer, and continued with an HP 932C that I wasn't using, and sent to her. The latest drivers were downloaded and installed, with both printers. Her connection is a USB, Alcatel modem (Bell South DSL). I suspected an issue with file and print sharing, but that is unchecked.

Last week, I delivered a PC that I rebuilt for him, to my Dad. It is running Windows XP. His ATT cable modem was connected to a NIC that I had installed, and internet service was fully functional. His new, Epson printer was then hooked up, but as soon as we printed a web page, the ATT connection was lost, irretrieveably, until we rebooted!

I'm all all over the map on this one; three different printers, on two different computers, with different types of broadband service, by different broadband providers, with both Milenium and XP....all exhibiting the same quirk. TIA, for any helpful suggestions that might be offered.

[mnosteele52]

Your girlfriends pc sounds like it could be the USB modem, USB modems have alot of problems escpecially with XP, try a NIC and see if it helps. Open your services on the XP machines and make sure the following services are set accordingly:

DHCP Client - automatic
DNS Client - automatic
Network Connections - automatic
Print Spooler - automatic

Hope this helps.
:) ;)

[Kharis]

Thanks, "mnosteele52", for the speedy repy. You may be right about a flakey, USB connection lousing up my girlfriend's Bell South DSL connection. Unfortunately, we live in separate states (ahhh, the power of the internet, to make new relationships!), so it will be several months before I can visit again, and try the NIC solution. As for the "services", the problem started with her PC, when it was running Millennium. Unless I'm badly mistaken, access to those services....and the actual services running....were quite different on Millennium than they are on XP. Still, I'll see if I can talk her through the process of checking which services are set to "automatic".

In the case of my Dad's PC, the cable modem is connected through a NIC, so a USB issue is not something that can be considered as the culprit. Incidentally, this problem seems to relate to broadband connections, not dialup. I'm running XP on a PC I built myself, with only a dialup connection yet available in our small city. I've never had a problem with printing, screwing up my internet connection.

[nightowl_123]

I am using the same HP 640C printer and I am having no problems. I use ME. What is the specs on the machines? You may need to see if there is any conflicts between the printer and the NIC. Normally you would say it is not possible to have 3 printers and 3 machines drop the line for the same reason. To check conflicts go to control panel, then systems folder, then double click on the device such as the parallel port and the network ID card. There is another option. Does the parellel cable or USB cable from the printer run parallel or along side the ethernet cable? This may cause some interference or packet lose. It is a stretch, but it is worth looking into.

[mnosteele52]

This could also be an Irq conflict, check your device manager to see if they are sharing the same Irq.:)

[Kharis]

Thanks to both mnosteele52 & nightowl_123, for the suggestions.
Further confusing the issue, as it similarly affects both my dad's computer, and my girlfriend's, is the fact that Dad's Epson printer is hooked up VIA a USB port, while my girlfriend's HP printer is hooked up through the parallel port.

I'll walk my girlfriend through the process of checking her IRQ's.
(In looking at my own IRQ's, it doesn't appear that the parallel port has an IRQ assigned...) This strikes me as a plausible possibility, although if her parallel port has no IRQ assignment, as mine doesn't, we're out of luck on this possibility. I'll also have her make sure that the phone line into her DSL modem, and the USB connector cable from the modem, don't have other wires/cables wrapped around them, per nightowl's suggestion.

Thanks, guys, for taking the time to help....much appreciated!