Internet drops then sometimes returns

[funops]

Hi. I continually experience an unpredictable connection with the Internet via my XP Pro VM and do not understand what this is about. I'm using a new iMac OS X 10.4.10 and have a purchased version of Parallels installed ok. Have a licensed copy of Windows XP Pro installed. I am able to switch into the XP Pro VM just fine, and I can run some installed Windows programs ok as well, no problem there.

However, when I attempt to connect to the Internet (say, via Internet Explorer, or Mail Washer Pro, etc.) sometimes I connect, and sometimes I do not. Moreover, even when I do connect, and I'm working, the connection apparently dies because I get Not Found errors via browser and Unable to Connect to Server errors via Mail Washer, etc. Then, maybe, after a bit of a long wait, the connections are once again functioning.

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with my DSL connection because whenever this problem occurs, if I slide over to my PC machine, the connections are fine. For instance, I was working in Mail Washer Pro via Parallels. Suddenly, I then begin to get "No Such Host" errors and no connection. Yet, if I turn in my chair to my PC computer and Windows XP Pro, Mail Washer is working just fine. Ditto if I try to access a site. Internet Explorer might connect ok, then suddenly it's no longer connecting. Yet, via my PC computer, the connections continue to function without a problem. So the DSL and everything else is working fine, but for whatever the reason, my Parallels connection to the Internet (email, web, etc.) stops working and after waiting a while, maybe begins to work again.

Any thoughts on why this is happening? When it's working it's working great, very fast, very convenient, but it's just not predictable as it typically stops working out of nowhere.

TIA,
Bob

 

[funops]

I may have figured this out ok. The setup indicated Bridged Ethernet for Network Adapter.

Network Adapter 1; Bridged Ethernet

After figuring out how to make a change, I tried other options and what the user manual says is the default/recommended setting, Shared Networking. I was able to make the change to that, thus

Network Adapter 1; Shared networking

And that seems to have fixed the problem because I am connecting to the Internet each time I try and it is not timing out or whatever it was that I was experiencing before; i.e., the connection to the Internet remains, well, connected.

So that's looking good and I'm very pleased. I'm not sure if I also have to make some recommended settings changes on my iMac's side of things, such as within System Preferences / Internet & Network > Sharing, so I'll continue checking through the docs, but so far it's all looking good and I have a quick and snappy Internet connection via Parallels and XP Pro each and every time I try plus it doesn't disconnect. Cool.

Bob