Windows XP connects dials up to the Internet at Startup 1

[VigilanteX]

Here's the problem. A user called into the ISP that I work for. He has WinXP Pro (without Service Pack 1) and now everytime he logs into Windows, it dials up and connects to the Internet. If he cancels the connection attempt, it redials. When he's connected and then disconnects, it redials. The only way we could get it to stop was to remove all of his dialup connections. It only started doing this today. He says he didn't download or install any new software; he was just playing solitaire and all of the sudden the computer started dialing up.

We removed our dialer software and just had him create a dun connection. We set the connection properties to "never dial a connection" and to never redial. We opened MSconfig and disable everything in the Startup menu. In the Startup Menu, he only has ZoneAlarm listed. It still dials up at Windows Startup. The only thing listed in Task Manager under Apps is the Dialup Network connection attempt.

The culprit that I believe is causing the problem is Windows Messenger. When he is connected to the Net (and no programs are running), Windows Messenger is already logged on. We checked the Options for it and the boxes to start messenger at windows startup and run in the background were both unchecked. While he was connected to the Net, I had him log off of Windows Messenger and disconnect from the Net and it did NOT try to reconnect (it would try to before this). I know you can disable it thru the Registry but he wasn't comfortable with doing anything there. He is going to try running System Restore back a couple of days and hopefully that will fix it (I don't know if it did because it was getting late and he needed to get off the phone).

Any ideas?

 

[WTVA]

2 things I would try to rule out to see if messenger is doing it and making it dial up, rename the messenger folder to something temporarly this will stop it from loading at startup like it does now (I do this anyway since I hate it trying to load everytime I startup and also you can still make a shortcut to it if you want to manually start it latter). If that helps have them check IE settings, under the network tab be sure it checked for Never dial a connection just a thought.

 

[VigilanteX]

Thanks for the tip WTVA. He restore XP back a couple of days and that seemed to fix the problem. I keep the idea of renaming the windows messenger folder in mind though, if he calls back with the same problem.