At my wit's end, Connection keeps dropping.

[Cosaga]

Pretty new here, so, first of all, hello to you all.

I've had this problem for quite awhile actually, but I've just never cared, but its high time something is done. 

Every few minutes or so my connection to the internet "drops" for a matter of seconds.  I'm not too sure whats happening.  I get no pop-up in my system tray saying that my modem has been disconnected or anything, but thats like what happens.  Its quite noticable if I'm downloading anything or using an instant messenger service.  If I'm downloading something, the download will just stop or if I'm on AIM or something, I won't get any messages for a few seconds until my connection "reconnects".

Now, the interesting thing is, around the same time this started happening (about 2 or 3 months ago now :X) I got a virus on my computer, scvh0st, or something like that, can't remember the name exactly.  Ran AVG, picked it up, deleted it, and I thought my problems were over.  A few weeks ago, I was trying to see if I could locate the problem (as I sometimes do when I'm bored, like now ), a friend told me to try HijackThis.  I ran it, and I found a file with the scvh0st in the name, so i proceeded to get rid of it using HijackThis.  Now I THINK (read: hope) its gone, it doesnt show up in HijackThis anymore.

I'm not sure if thats related, but the more info i can give the better, I guess. 

Currently Running Windows XP home edition, SP 2.

Also, as a side note, I've replaced my modem within the past few weeks, and I still get dropped, so I'm assuming its a software problem, not hardware related.

Any ideas would be much appreciated, god knows I'm out of bright ideas.

[viking]

Try using a Live CD (with Linux: Ubuntu or Knoppix) and see if the disconnects still appear. You can download, burn them on cd/dvd and use them for free, legally. You have windows equivalents installed on: firefox, clients for instant messenging, you can download files, just like in Windows.

I really think your Windows needs a clean reinstall (delete partition, create partition, format, install), if it is possible: what data do you have on your computer? What applications use what passwords? Do you know them all? Do you have applications that need a key for install from somewhere else? Think at everything important that you have on your computer/windows before doing such an act of force.