>>Hi,
>>FWIW I tell all my clients to never use the driver update, as it nearly always screws the system.
>
>Hi Neil,
>
>Well, I spoke too soon anyway!
>I re-booted after a while of nice IE performance. The reboot was just to get rid of the Xed-out icon for the other network connection for the Marvell.
>
>As soon as I went back to Internet the whole no-updating-after-an-initial-burst repeated itself! At least I don't get the false disconnected cable indicator < s >!
>
>This is REAL CRAP!!! I guess I have no choice but to use restore points backwards until I get a working system again!

Before blowing away your entire system and reinstalling, or going backwards through a bunch of restore points, try the following utility:

http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html

A lot of current spyware/adware hooks into your IP stack and screws up networking in ways similar to what you're seeing. If you haven't done so already, run both Ad-Aware and SpyBot Search & Destroy to eliminate any spyware, then run the utility above. This is because, after you blow away malware, it still doesn't restore the registry settings the malware screwed up in the first place.

Also, if you're seeing IE-specific problems, check what "browser helper objects" (BHOs) are hooked into IE. These can be visible toolbars or non-visible ad serving engines. You can get at them in IE Properties...Programs...Manage Add-Ons. On a "clean" system you should have only the Acrobat Reader helper object and a couple of others from MS related to Windows Update and/or Office Update. You can try disabling others to see if that helps.