Dial-Up Problems

Older Compaq Laptop - WinXP Home SP3 - ATT Dial-Up via IE - Here's what happens: it dials out OK, and it connects OK, but the home page gets a "Page Cannot Be Displayed" error on the white background. Typing a different web site in to the address bar results in a small error window "Internet Explorer could not open the search page" and then the dial-up connection disconnects. If I don't type anything in to the address bar and just let it sit, it will disconnect automatically in about 45 seconds or so. The same thing happens with both the built-in modem and an add-on external USB modem. IE works fine via the ethernet port on a cable broadband connection, and I can surf for hours w/o issues. I have rebuilt Winsock and TCP/IP. I have performed a repair install of Windows. I have used the same external USB modem on a different PC with the same user account info as on the laptop, and it works perfectly.... so I'm really confused....
HELP!!!

 

Apparently AT&T has some sort of dialup connection manager
http://www.att.com/t5/Internet/Prob...e;jsessionid=075351ABE8E6D49A6C30D2132E327955
maybe you need to contact them and find out how to download it.

This thread also said something about ID and passwords changing, though I don't know if it pertains to all customers.
The fact that it disconnects after about 45 seconds, seems like it is looking for some sort of verification and not finding it; though you'd think a nice helpful error would appear so you could do better troubleshooting.

 

roflmao

So true.... due to time constraints I was unaware of at the time of my first post, I ended up simply saving "My Documents" and a few desktop folders, formatting the HD and reloading clean XP Home SP3. After that completed, and I got the drivers all installed, I simply set up IE6 (the 'stock' IE on a non-updated XP SP3 CD) for dial-up using the username and password provided by the PCs owner, and BAM!!! We were off to the (slow) internet races. Apparently, something deep in the XP kernel got hosed somehow, and even a repair install didn't fix it. I may have forgotten to mention in my first post, but the dial-up connection worked perfectly up until about 4 days ago, then it went KABLOOEY! Anyway.... all is well, and thanks for your input, plodr....