ideas?

[rossored]

Can anyone recommend a solution for the following:

I like to wake my PC up from standby at, say, 2.15 each afternoon, to start my charting packages and record my data (I use IB, hence no backfill facility)

However : although the PC used to accomplish this quite well on dialup, waking up and Scheduling a Task (starting OE, for example) to get the connection up and running, due to the time it takes an ADSL modem (about 30 seconds it seems) to wake up after the PC comes out of sleep, it tries to make the connection before the ADSL light has stopped blinking on the modem - hence, OE doesnt detect a dial tone and doesnt try to redial. So, I dont get a connection and dont get a feed.

What I need is a program that "wakes up" the internet connection before OE tries to use it itself. I've tried getting AVG Virus/IE6/etc to wake up first and "activate" the connection, but to no avail.

Can anyone suggest a remedy to this? I dont like the idea of my laptop being on all day because I am rarely here in the mornings to turn it on myself.

Alternatively, is it any more "wearing" to leave a laptop on than a desktop PC? Are they as rugged for leaving on 16 hours of the day?

Your assistance, as always, gratefully received.

Your "Techy Editor" (ironic, or what? )

 

[wheezergeezer]

Rossered, you can check this, go to control panel >(next!)
network connections, double click on your broadband connection provider,> properties, look at the list of options,
ie, redial attempts , I recommend 50+ or whatever you wish,
time between redial I'd go for 5 seconds
idle time before hanging up........never,
Redial if line is dropped, yes check this box!!
I have a alcatel speedtouch modem with broadband connection which goes through virgin.net, yours will probably be different, but do check what options are selected , it may solve your not connecting issue, the laptop question, if you have a good warranty with back up, no problem, but if the pc is a few years old and out of warranty, switch it off until you need it, In an ideal world you should look at replacing every 3 years or so, IMHO, technology moves so fast it dosn't take to long for your greyhound( new pc) to become a snail and your left behind.
I hope this has been of some help..........good luck,wheezergeezer

 

[oatman]

I was looking in Scheduled Tasks wizard and there's a Connection Test. Wonder if that would help?? Or maybe launch your AV update to connect automatically at 2pm.

or launch OE twice, 2mins apart.

 

[rossored]

Thanks for the replies chaps.

Wheezer, I'm Virgin broadband with the 330 modem too...sadly, the "redial" option doesnt apply if the PC doesnt detect the dialtone at all : it just doesnt try to redial, no matter how many redial attempts I have selected for some reason. I would have thought it would have, but...

My laptop is not quite a year old, so I guess that should be OK.

Oaty - I've tried getting AVG and the various other internet-requiring applications to start as much as 3 or 4 minutes before OE, but this still doesnt seem to work. Perhaps its just a case of messing about with everything until such time as I get something to work... we all know what PC's can be like. :cheesy:

Thanks again for your suggestions,

RR

 

[wheezergeezer]

rossered, you can also try to disable the sleep option, as it sometimes won't allow the pc to restart, there's an error in the software code!, instead use the power options in control panel,
you could set the monitor to switch off after 10 minutes or less if your not using the pc, same would apply to the hard disk, when you need to restart press any key or move mouse, this way the internet connetion won't be switched off, I personally wouldn't use the standby or hibernate as it sometimes fails.............

 

[TWI]

You could also buy a router/modem which keep connection always on these are about GBP100 nice if you have wireless with the laptop too.

 

[Rognvald]

RR
TWs suggestion on the face of it is good but you seem to have a usb broadband modem (like me). I have a router too but it must be a usb router if you wish to continue to use the modem. I bought my router and paid for my modem before broadband routers arrived and so am stuck with it.

This would be a solution for u but beware as is not for me on pc with my present motherboard (a K7 for an athlon cpu) which has a known intermittent fault and drops the usb connection without warning!!!! Beware there may be a similar laptop issue
B....... computers

 

[rossored]

thanks for the replies chaps