PC disconnects modem

[Cumberland Blues]

I've got Fairpoint DSL.  I've got an old (6.5yrs) HP desktop running Vista.  Comtrend modem/router supplied by Fairpoint.  For the past 3 weeks or so, whenever the PC is on - the modem disconnects from the internet every 5 minutes or so.  I turn off the modem and turn it back on and I'm good for another 5 minutes.  If I leave the PC off, I can access the net seamlessly and without interuption via every other device in the house (smart TV, two smartphones, two kindle fires, one ipod).  I've run all my virus/spyware/malware checkers multiple times and nothing they've cleaned up solves the problem.  Fairpoint support has been no help.
 
Any ideas? 
 
 
 

 

[AlNipper49]

I've got Fairpoint DSL.  I've got an old (6.5yrs) HP desktop running Vista.  Comtrend modem/router supplied by Fairpoint.  For the past 3 weeks or so, whenever the PC is on - the modem disconnects from the internet every 5 minutes or so.  I turn off the modem and turn it back on and I'm good for another 5 minutes.  If I leave the PC off, I can access the net seamlessly and without interuption via every other device in the house (smart TV, two smartphones, two kindle fires, one ipod).  I've run all my virus/spyware/malware checkers multiple times and nothing they've cleaned up solves the problem.  Fairpoint support has been no help.
 
Any ideas? 
 
 
 

 
It could be a lot of different things frankly.  In cases like this you should ascend through the OSI Model.  You don't need ot understand this, but your first two steps in isolating the issue would be to swap out the cable between the PC and the modem.  If that doesn't work then the next place to look is the network card of the PC.
 
It's really impossible to tell but if I HAD to bet on something I'd say it was a driver issue with your network card.