ADSL

Question

Ok, so I may be the fool here... but here's the deal.  I have a Dell Inspiron 8500.  I am currently living in Italy.  Phone conditions are really bad so I got an ADSL line installed.  So now, I can use the ADSL for say, 2 minutes until my computer reboots itself.  Here's the details, the ADSL jack for my computer looks exactly like my keyboard/mouse jack.  Therefore, I plugged the ADSL line in there and there is nowhere else on my computer to plug it in.  What can I do to make my ADSL work?

johnallg · Answer

One usually connectes to an ADSL modem by either USB or usually ethernet.  What ADSL modem are you using?  A link to specs?

Trake · Answer

Ok, so I don't know if you can speak/read italian, but this is how you get to my exact modem.  Go to www.aliceadsl.it  then, at the bottom of the page click on 'Aiuto' (help) , then 'Guide di uso' (user's guide), then click on 'modem ADSL Ethernet', and finally its the 'IPM Dataway USB' and you can click on that too.  That will take you directly to a picture of a port that I don't think that I have.  I looked all over the computer and the only ones that I have are for the mouse and the keyboard.  There is one other spot where it may have had a port, but my computer doesn't have it.  Now, I do not have a wireless LAN card but I didn't think that I needed one...  Also, it will connect through those ports (at a great speed mind you) but when I open up anything it sends me a message telling me that I have a RPC (remote procedure call) error and then gives me one minute before it reboots my computer.  Thank you for helping me...

Akule50 · Answer

Aloha Trake,It sounds like you could have the 'Blaster Worm' virus! 'Click here' and 'here' for more info. For Dell’s article on this, 'click here'.There were confirmed reports, in the past, that Microsoft's patch sometimes does not 'take', leaving Windows still vulnerable. This also might explain why some users, that had the patch installed before being infected, were still capable of being infected by the 'Blaster worm'.Steve Gibson (Security Expert on Windows) of GRC.com has developed a tool, which can test the RPC patch and can also safely disable or enable Windows DCOM (RPC is part of DCOM). DCOM is usually not used by most users. I've just disabled DCOM on my computer, with no problems (cable connection). The simple instructions and Tool’s download page, is 'here'.From what I understand… most users that were running a firewall weren’t affected. You could turn WinXP’s firewall on or download a better one from ZoneAlarm (there’s a free personal version, 'here').Aloha,Rod

Trake · Answer

Hey Aloha,

Thanks alot!!! I'm going to try that when I get home tonight, but I was looking at the information pages that you attached. It looks EXACTLY like it! I've never gotten a virus before and I know that I didn't get that one via email or anything so I have no idea how it got to my computer! I hope this does fix it, but thanks alot!!

Trake

johnallg · Answer

Here is the connector on your 8500 they are talking about: http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/systems/ins8500/en/sm/pinouts.htm#1003610

Trake · Answer

Hey Rod ,

So I spent about an hour and a half last night de-worming, disabling DCOM and protecting my computer thanks to your links. After that I also installed the Zone Firewall... and guess what?!?!?!?! It works now! *cheer* Although thanks to the rpg that I play on-line I can't actually have the firewall up because it communicates too much and the firewall stops it, so once I turned that off it worked like a charm! My connection speed is around 850 kbps so I am cruising high... Thanks a ton!!!!

Sincerely,

The ecstatic dragon (Trake)

johnallg · Answer

I would buy a cheap wired router to be a NAT firewall for you otherwise you can be hacked again with a virus.  Over here (maybe have it sent to you?) they are going for $29.

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

ADSL

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