BB FANS

I think my laptop is kaput. For the last couple of days, everytime I log onto it and try and access anything from the net, be it msn or just a website, it logs me out, after either a few seconds or a few minutes, tells me I am not connected to the net and I have to switch my laptop of and switch it on again (the height of my technical abilities) to get it to come back on. It doesn't happen if I am on word or any other program, only seems to be net connected.

It's an apple ibook G4 and its connected to the net, through a wireless connection (netgear) with my pc.

I am completely computer illiterate, but if anyone can suggest (in words of no more than one syllable please) anything which I can try to fix it, could they let me know. I didn't set up the wireless connection, so it's a mystery to me how that works and the pc seems to be fine. Someone did suggest it might be a bug on my msn which is when the problem first started, but as it still has the same problem even when I'm not on msn I'm not sure if this is right, but I did try to uninstall the msn and reinstall it just in case, but couldn't figure out (even after going on mac help) how to uninstall it. The mac help just suggested uninstalling it with no instructions how to do so.

Can anyone help or should I just take it into the mac shop and let them sort it.

ellie a couple of years ago I had a bug with an msn programme and I was unable to unstall it In the end someone had to come and completely uuurrrmmm reprogramme my computor (for want of a better word) He basically took it back to my factory settings. I now only use the windows messenger and yahoo (or google chat if all else fails)

That said it may be your wireless connection that may be the problem.

Whatever it is I have no idea how to fix it, sorry.



oh and strangely this particular website logs me out constantly these days

Things to check .

Do you have Anti-Virus software installed ?
Is it up to date ?
Have you scanned the computer recently ?

If yes to all lets move on.

Can you connect the laptop directly to the Wireless Router ?
Ethernet is preferred as you don't need to install drivers but USB can be used.
Both cables are usually supplied with the router.

If the problem goes away them it lies with the Wireless connection.

Next double left-click on the wireless Network Icon in the system tray (Bottom right of screen on the end of the taskbar).
In the box that comes up it'll give you details of the connection.
Network Name which hopefully tallys with you router else it might of logged on to a nearby Open Network.
Connection speed.
Connection Quality.

Select 'View Wireless Networks'

Next to your connection it should show a closed padlock if it doesn't and you have an Open Network someone else could be using you connection for downloads hence why you have problems connecting and staying connected.
The same could happen if you have a virus.

If your system is 'Open' then find the manual and assign a Key to keep others out. WEP is the simplest to configure though not the most secure.

Also if there is another strong network and it's on an adjacent channel it could be causing interference. I suppose a strong Super G signal could also block your signals as it's a very wide signal rather an a single channel.

Adjacent channel problems is easy to fix ,using your manual change the channel your router is using either higher or lower by more than a couple of channels.

If your Network is the only signal visible and the quality is low then check to see if anything has been moved or changed near where the router is installed in near where you use the Laptop.

If nothing seems to work and you have a good signal from the router then it could be that the router is disconnecting from your ISP. Assuming it's via a BT line ,have you installed anything new on your phone line ? And did you leave the little white box plugged in the socket as this is a filter to separate the two signals. Everything plugged into the line needs one of these. There is also the possibility that the signal from the ISP is low or have interference on it. The only way to check this is on the ISP website for service problems and failing that to check with you ISP via the helpline or contact BT again to see if there are any on-going problems in your area.

There are still the possibility of the wireless section going deaf in the laptop or the router sending out a lower signal than normal. Both of which will require a third party to confirm signal levels.

The brain has just clicked and I've just remembered your using a Mac ? Hopefully they use the same basic methods as Windows so there should be something similar to the above references to the icons and Wireless Network information.

Thanks Larry. I'm sure to someone with more than two brain cells that would all be immensely helpful, but this is a blonde doofus at the other end of this keyboard, so I got lost after the first couple of paragraphs. I'm afraid I don't even understand most of the terms that you use . I'm so crap at computers. I'm going to take it into my apple man and have him look at it. There is a big part of me that is hoping it is unfixable as I have never got on with it and wish Mr ellie had never taken it into his head to buy me a mac.

Thanks again for the advice though Larry. It was much appreciated even if it just confirmed to me that what I need to do is let someone look at it who knows what they are doing.

Actually just one thing Larry in case it is something really obvious. What is scanning and how do I do it?

If you open your anti-virus software there should be a button that says scan.

In AVG software if you open the 'Control Center' you have to click on 'Test Center' before you get the button to scan. The you click on 'Scan Computer' which will check the whole system.

This will check the system for virii and my take quite a while if it's doing a full scan. Scanning just means that the program will check files to see if they are infected with a virus. It will also check memory first to back sure there isn't a virus loaded before it begins it's scan.

I had a phone call about 30 minutes ago from a chap up the road who has been having problems with his kids' computer. He says it keeps crashing and running slow so I'm off tomorrow night to check and install the anti-virus software again and then leave it for the hour and a half it'll probably take to scan and isolate the virii I expect it to have on it. That's assuming his eldest hasn't put it back to the factory condition like he did last time rather than wait for me to look at it.

Is it possible that I don't have any anti virus software, as I certainly can't find any. I know I have Norton on the pc, but there doesnt seem to be anything similar on the laptop.

ellie when that guy came and set it all up for you didn't he sort some antivirus software out? He bloody should have the price he charged.

I'm not sure bboop. I remember asking him to check it on the pc as I was worried about the baby ellies getting into something they shouldn't but I really don't know what he did. Have looked everywhere though and see no mention of antivirus stuff.

well if you're not updating your antivirus software or seeing an automatic update when you switch on it sounds like you don't have any to me.

God knows why I'm commenti.ng when Larry's here my contribution is positively minor compared to Larry. Larry if you lived near me I would be on the phone every other day to sort problems out lol

That's a point. I've never been asked to update it, though it does tell me when there is other software updates and tells me how to download them.

I think that is the root ofd your problem ellie. There are loads of software packages available to download. Larry will take over form here and tell you how

Sorry but I would only make matters worse I'm sure!

http://antivirus.about.com/cs/allabout/tp/aamacvir.htm
http://mac.sofotex.com/Security/Antivirus/

These are a couple of sites I've found with links to download Anti-virus software for the Mac. But I think Norton keeps coming near the top of the lists.
These are other free software but you'd have to ask other Mac users which the prefer and trust.

If you haven't seen the update screen or the scanning screen on the main PC then there is a good chance that it hasn't been updated since it was installed. With the PC Norton Security suite I think it gives you a month or two free then you have to subscribe to the service. With the PC one you can fool it for a while to make it update but after a while that stops.

If it was a PC laptop I'd tell you to install the free AVG along with it's Anti-Spyware package and to add Zonealarm for a better firewall.

A firewall is a software barrier between you computer and the Internet and is the first thing a hacker comes up against if they try to access your computer.

Spyware is either advertising software(ad-ware) or something that spys on what you do with your computer and reports back to who ever sent it to you or embedded it in a web-page you looked at.

Thanks for all your help Larry. I am downloading the NOrton antivirus as we speak. I really appreciate the advice and will let you know if this solves the problem.

Another happy face tonight after the lad's computer up the road was dis-infected.

Three Trogens and a few programs that wasn't wanted that were creating problems and it now runs silently which I'm told it hasn't done for some time as the fans were running quite fast most of the time.

The anti-virus software was out of date and the replacement firewall was blocking the update part.