Broadband Woes

I don't really know why I left Windows Update on. Nevertheless, Windows Update installed on my PC "Security Update for Windows XP (KB951748)" without my knowledge. And when I wanted to use the net, I found out that I was not able to connect. After several unsuccessful attempts at trying to fix the connection, I finally decided to contact MTNL, really not knowing about what had actually happened.

It was just recently that there was some problem in the line and I had got it fixed (after about 5 calls to MTNL!) and this time I was really frustrated. I called them up and such poor is MTNL's helpdesk, I was made to wait for about 10 minutes before I could get to the customer service representative. The poor man then had to bear the brunt of my anger. I just exploded, and he had a tough time trying to pacify me. A technical support staff then came and checked my net connection and he was not able to do anything. He left without successfully diagnosing the problem.

Then I decided to check the net on my laptop (using the same connection) and to my surprise it worked! I then found out that due to the stupid update, Zone Alarm had just blocked all out going traffic. Here are some solutions to the problem:

1. Set the Internet Zone security as "Medium" instead of high.
2. Or get an update from ZoneAlarm or simply uninstall the update.

Moral of the story:
Do not keep Windows Update turned on.