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Modem Automatically Attempts to Establish a Dial-Up Connection When You Start Your Computer or Start a Program

Article ID: 316530 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q316530

SYMPTOMS

When you start your Windows XP-based computer or start a program on your computer, the modem may attempt to automatically dial a connection to your Internet service provider (ISP).

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CAUSE

This behavior can occur if any of the following conditions are true:

The autodial feature is enabled. Autodial is enabled by default in Windows XP.
The program that you start automatically checks for updated components or Web pages.
A program that dials your ISP is located in the Startup folder or on the registry's Run key.
A registry entry is set to dial.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use one or more of the following methods.

Disable Autodial

To disable autodial, follow these steps:

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
If you are using Category View, click Network and Internet Connections.
Click Network Connections, and then on the Advanced menu, click Dial-up Preferences.
Click the Autodial tab.
Click to clear the check boxes that are listed under Enable autodial by location.
Click to select the Always ask me before autodialing check box (if not already selected).
Click to select the Disable autodial while I am logged on check box.
Click OK, and then close the Network Connections dialog box.

Clean Boot the Computer

Perform a clean boot of your computer to determine whether a program is indeed loading at startup and attempting to dial out to your ISP.

For additional information about how to perform a clean boot in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310353

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353/ )

How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP

If you perform a clean boot and determine that a program is causing your modem to dial out at startup, remove the program from the Startup folder or the registry.

For more information about how to troubleshoot this issue, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310560

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560/ )

How to troubleshoot configuration errors by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP

Disable Automatic Checking

Configure the program that automatically checks for updated components or Web pages so that it does not start when Windows XP starts. To do this, see the documentation that is included with the program or contact the program manufacturer.

Modify the Registry

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

A registry entry may be set to dial. To resolve this issue, configure Internet Explorer to not connect by using a modem, or set the AutoConnect value in the registry key to 0.

Warning Some programs may configure the registry to dial automatically, and by altering this registry value, you may affect the functionality of these programs.

To configure Internet Explorer to not connect by using a modem, follow these steps:

Start Internet Explorer. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
Click the Connections tab, and then click Never dial a connection.
Click OK.

To set the AutoConnect value in the registry key to 0, follow these steps:

Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit, and then press ENTER.
Locate and select the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\RemoteAccess\Profile\<ConnectionName>
In the right pane, double-click the AutoConnect value, and then reset the value from 1 to 0.

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MORE INFORMATION

The autodial feature maps and maintains network addresses to connection destinations. This allows these destinations to be automatically dialed whenever they are referenced. The default Internet connection is automatically dialed unless another Internet connection is configured for autodial.

For more information about the autodial feature in Windows XP, click Start, and then click Help and Support. Type autodial in the Search box, and then press ENTER to view the topics returned.

For additional information about a related autodial issue, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

311077

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311077/ )

Internet Provider Sign-in Screen Appears with Winsock Program

For additional information about how to troubleshoot startup issues in Windows XP, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

316434

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316434/ )

HOW TO: Perform Advanced Clean-Boot Troubleshooting in Windows XP

308041

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308041/ )

Resources for Troubleshooting Startup Problems in Windows XP

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