ICS + XP = keep losing the internet. router + XP = internet OK. Why?

[CheshireCat]

Im on an NTL cable ADSL broadband connection.
My Netgear firewall/router has just died and so Ive had to return to using
Windows XP ICS server whilst waiting for a delivery.
A problem I had before buying the Netgear has returned to plague us. The
internet vanishes after various periods of time - sometimes a couple of
minutes. It also seems to happen when my pc goes into screen saver mode.
A pc reboot doesn't help, I also have to reboot the modem - to reset the
cable connection..

When I use a router, the connection remains OK "ad infinitum".

Any ideas what might cause this problem?

(The only time I get a similar problem with a router attached is if I
attempt to download too many files concurrently.)

[Rumor]

Have you checked for spyware or trojans? The NAT in the router may be
protecting you.

--
Rumor

[CheshireCat]

"Rumor" > wrote in message
.. .
> Have you checked for spyware or trojans? The NAT in the router may be
> protecting you.
>
> --
> Rumor
>
Im certain it's not virus related, spyware maybe as there seems to be no
control over this and you can test your machine every day and find some.
I noticed yesterday that it affected the cable modem, the www connection
light on it had turned off.
I wondered if XP was blasting the modem with traffic that's usually filtered
out by a router but Zone Alarm task bar monitors dont look that busy.
Is there any monitoring software out there that might help?

[Rumor]

Dunno about any monitoring software but it also occurred to me that your ISP
(assuming you have a dynamic IP) may be dropping your connection when there
is no activity. Most routers are set up to keep the connection alive or to
immediately reconnect when the connection is dropped.

--
Rumor