connection probs

ive been having this prob for quite some time and cant seem to find a resolution so im hoping someone will be able to help me. ill try to explain best i can, in my network connections folder the icon for my isp shows me as being disconnected even tho im able to get online, i have no icon in my system tray to indicate im connected however when i bring up task mgr. it says i am connected. the prob this creates is everytime i need to disconnect from the net i have to restart my pc. i have checked and unchecked all the boxes that should indicate im connected but nothing seems to work. can someone lead me in the right direction? ty jamie

 

What OS, modem and connection?

 

winxp pro, 56K HSP56 micromodem (best data)and im on dial up... i hope this is the info u need as im not very computer literate

 

just wondering if my post was forgotten about or if noone has any ideas how to help me