I am having an intermittent problem where my network seems to break down or 
grind to a halt. About nineteen out of twenty times it works fine and then a 
failure.
The network setup is a Netgear DG834GT modem/router to which two PC's are 
hard wired and two laptops wireless.
There is then a twenty metre cable to a multi point ethernet swtch which has 
five PC's connected to it; it is thsi "extended network" where I see the 
problems.
These five PC's have programs running between them on three server/client 
software packages. Only one PC has a keyboard and mouse; the rest are 
controlled by VNC. Occasionally I perceive that the network is slowing down 
and programs then start to drop out; it takes a minute or two before it all 
grinds to a halt. One of the first bits to fail is the VNC link so I cannot 
talk to the other computers. Each one seems to continue with programs 
running on that particular PC, it is programs running across the network 
that fail. I get the impression that something is "flooding" the network 
with traffic but I have no technical grounds to support this feeling.
Now the funny bits: if I shut down all of the PC's and re-start the problem 
does not always go away, neither does re-booting the router.
Until testerday I had been concentrating on the software running across the 
network but then when trying a re-start yesterday I could not talk to any 
PC's through VNC and there were no programs running except XP on each PC and 
the VNC server/clients.
This was a major breakthrough as it seems to me to be a purely network 
issue. Later again yesterday I re-booted the router, started up all PC's and 
everything worked perfectly again for the whole evening.
I am no sort of network expert and could do with some suggestions.
I wonder if the twenty metre cable is a problem but then company links work 
over far greater distances than this and most of the time mine works fine.
I am buying a new branded ethernet switch to replace the eBay cheapy in case 
that is the problem.
I have upgraded the router formware to latest issue.
All firewalls are off except the router hardware one.
Any ideas?
TIA
Barry

In article , Barry 
says...
> 
> I get the impression that something is "flooding" the network 
> with traffic but I have no technical grounds to support this feeling.

That'll be the infamous Windows XP searching for shared files and 
printers then. 

Try the following:

Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Options. Click on View then untick the 
first box AFAIR which tells it to automatically find shared files and 
folders.



-- 
Conor
www.notebooks-r-us.co.uk
I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't 
looking good either. - Scott Adams

"Conor"  wrote in message 
news:MPG.24d0171840fba569897eb@news.eternal-september.org...
> In article , Barry
> says...
>>
>> I get the impression that something is "flooding" the network
>> with traffic but I have no technical grounds to support this feeling.
>
> That'll be the infamous Windows XP searching for shared files and
> printers then.
>
> Try the following:
>
> Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Options. Click on View then untick the
> first box AFAIR which tells it to automatically find shared files and
> folders.
>
>
>
> -- 
> Conor
> www.notebooks-r-us.co.uk
> I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't
> looking good either. - Scott Adams

Thanks for that tip, I will try it. May take a week or two to see if it 
makes a difference as the problem only occurs intermittantly.
Barry