When PCs lose touch

For the AJC

Internet access is dependable these days compared to just a few years ago. But on those rare occasions when our computers lose touch with the outside world, I learn all over again how dependent we've become. We pay our bills online, check the weather, and it's an essential part of how most of us earn a living.

Today we'll talk about what to do when you lose your connection, as well as some ways to soup up connections that work too slowly.

Let's start with the good news. In most cases your Internet connection isn't dead. It's just taking a brief nap. So before I panic, let me stop typing this column for a moment and see if that's what is happening here on Kodiak Drive. I'll turn off the high speed modem and router, and let it sit powered down while I get another cup of coffee.

That's always the first thing to try -- cycle off the power to those devices, wait a few minutes and power them up again. More often than not, you'll be rewarded with a good connection. Here's why. Your modem needs to work in synchronization with the gear at your Internet provider. Various things, including a blip in your electrical power, can get the devices out of sync. Something as simple as powering down and then up again, forces your modem to renegotiate that connection.

If you try this and it fails, wait a few minutes and try again. It sometimes can take two or three tries to get a modem talking again. Luckily, that’s just what happened here. All is well now. My e-mail is working again.

That simple fix won't always work. When it doesn't most of us are tempted to started tinkering. A small amount of that is OK. Go ahead and check the cables at the modem, your computer and your router. The easiest way to do this is to unplug each connector and then snap it back firmly in place. There are times when an accidental tug can pull something loose – cutting off your connection. And it's an easy and sensible thing to check.

But that's it for the tinkering -- even if you are an advanced computer user and know all the tricks. It's time to contact your Internet provider. (By the way, it's a good idea to keep important phone numbers handy, perhaps entered in an address book, or written down on a piece of paper, available for times you can't search for them online.)

Maybe it'll cheer you up to know that the major Internet services, including my provider, AT&T, generally do a fine job when it comes to diagnosing and fixing Internet problems. It makes great sense to contact your provider first. After all, if the problem is on their end of the circuit, you could tinker away -- maybe creating new problems -- without a chance of fixing the problem.

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