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KB10190: How to Check for Auto-dial Settings and Programs

Summary: An overview of the settings and programs can cause your computer to be online without your knowledge.

OVERVIEW

Many settings and programs on your computer may cause your modem to automatically dial into the internet, even when you are not there. Our internet service is intended for use only when you are present at your computer; the use of auto-dialing software is against our Terms of Service. So is "dedicated" usage, i.e. the practice of staying online all the time, even when you are not at the computer.

This article will walk you through many of the settings and programs on your computer that could be causing your computer to auto-dial.

SYMPTOMS

Your computer is connecting to the internet by itself, or is staying online even when you leave the computer.

CAUSE

This problem may be caused by one or more of the following settings or programs:

You are not disconnecting from the internet when you leave your computer.
You have an auto dialer program installed on your computer. Examples include Rascal and Connection Keeper.
Your LanZing.Net dialer is set to Connect Automatically
Your Windows dialup networking dialer is set to auto-dial, redial if line is dropped, or it is set to never idle-timeout.
Internet Explorer is set to Always dial my default connection or Dial whenever a network connection is not present.
Outlook Express is set to Always connect to this account using ....
A shortcut to your dialer program is in your Startup folder, causing it to dial when you boot up your computer.
You are using Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing, or some other program that lets you share an internet connection between multiple computers.
Some other internet program is auto-dialing, perhaps an anti-virus or other program trying to download scheduled updates.
You have a virus, spyware, or other malware on your computer that is forcing it to auto-dial.

RESOLUTION

Please check all of the following possibilities:

Disconnect while you are not using your computer

If you are no longer using the internet, remember to disconnect.

If you are using the LanZing.Net dialer:

Look in the system tray by the clock. You will see a green icon of two connected computers.
Right-click this icon, and choose Hang Up.
A window will appear asking if you are sure. Remember to click Yes.

If you are using Windows Dialup Networking (DUN):

Look in the system tray by the clock. You will see a blue icon of two connected computers.
Right-click this icon, and choose Disconnect.

Auto dialer Programs

You or someone else may have installed an auto-dialer program on your computer. These programs are specifically designed to keep your connection online, and are against our Terms of Service.

The two most popular programs are Rascal and Connection Keeper.

If you are running one of these types of programs, please uninstall it. If you are unsure how to do this, please consult the software manual, or contact the product's technical support department.

If you are unsure whether you have these programs installed, please contact our technical support, at 1-800-883-7485.

LanZing.Net Dialer Settings

If you are using our dialing software, check to see if it is set to connect automatically.

Find the LanZIng Internet icon on your desktop. Double-click it.
Click the Options button
Make sure Connect Automatically is unchecked.

Windows Dialer Settings

If you are using Windows Dialup Networking (DUN) instead of the provided LanZing.Net software, here are the settings to check.

Unsave your dialup password
Double-click your connection icon, as if you were preparing to dial. There is a checkbox that says, Save this user name and password for the following users. If another program is forcing your dialer to connect, unchecking this box will prevent that program from connecting until you manually type in your password.
Redial if line is dropped and Idle time set to Never
1. Double-click your connection icon, as if you were preparing to dial.
2. Click the Properties button.
3. Click the Options tab.
4. Uncheck Redial if line is dropped.
5. Under Idle time before hanging up, make sure you don't have Never selected. Set it to 15 minutes. This will help you disconnect if you forget when you leave your computer.
Disable Autodial
To disable autodial, follow these steps:
1. Click Start.
2. Click Settings....
3. Click Control Panel.
4. Click Network Connections or Network and Internet Connections and then Network Connections.
5. Click Advanced in the menu bar. Choose Dial-up Preferences.
6. Click the Autodial tab.
7. Under Enable autodial by location, uncheck the boxes for each of your connections.
8. Check the box for Always ask me before autodialing.
9. Check the box for Disable autodial while I am logged on.
10. Click OK.

Internet Explorer Settings

Internet Explorer (IE) has two settings that may attempt to dial a connection automatically.

Open Internet Explorer.
In the menu bar, click Tools, then choose Internet Options....
Click the Connection tab.
Check Never dial a connection.

This will unselect the other two options in this area, Always dial my default connection and Dial whenever a network connection is not present.

NOTE: that if you usually connect to the internet by opening Internet Explorer, this will cause IE to no longer connect for you. You will now have to double-click the LanZing.Net or Windows Dialup icon manually to get connected.

Outlook Express

If you leave your mail client open, and it is set to automatically check email every few minutes, and it is also set to connect when it needs to, it may try to dial each time it checks your mail.

In Outlook Express:

Go to Tools in the menu bar, then select Accounts.
Go to the Mail tab.
Go into the account properties by double-clicking your email account.
Click the Connection tab.
Uncheck Always connect to this account using:.
If you have more than one email account set up in Outlook Express, be sure to repeat this process for every one.

Scheduled Updates

Many programs are set to download updates at a scheduled time, especially security software such as firewalls and anti-virus programs. If you are not at your computer during this scheduled update, the program may try to auto-dial. If the download takes a long time, or if there is a problem with the download, it may dial repeatedly or stay connected for long periods of time, even on a nightly basis.

Please check all of your programs to see if they are scheduled to update themselves at times when you are away from your computer. If they are, then set them to not update automatically (do the updates manually), or set it to update during times when you are actively using the internet, and can see any errors that may be occurring.

Removing your password from the dialer (as mentioned earlier in this article) will also help stop this type of connection.

Internet Connection Sharing

If you are using a third party program to share your dialup connection between multiple computers, such as Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing, this software could be set to dial any time one of the computers requests the internet. Please check your program manual for information on how to change this setting.

Viruses/Trojans/Spyware/Adware

You may have malicious software on your computer that is unknown to you. It could be a virus or spyware dialing your connection for various reasons.

It is recommended that you scan your computer using an anti-virus program with the latest updates, as well as an anti-spyware program, such as SpyBot.

Document reference number: KB10190