Prior to yesterday, I used compuserve dial-up for internet. I also had access to the internet via a wireless connection, but this was only used as a backup if my dialup did not work. I just had Comcast installed on a cable modem connected to an existing, but never used ethernet card.

In the past, whether through dial-up, or wireless, the instant an internet connection was detected, NIS would show a message via the fly-out "globe" icon. That is not happening when I first boot my computer and the cable modem is already on.

I'm wondering if this connection is actually protected. I still have my compuserve account at the moment, and when I connect to compuserve via TCP/IP, NIS seems to protect first the ethernet connection, then the WAN connection for compuserve... When I disconnect from compuserve, NIS appears to reprotect my ethernet connection as if its seeing it for the first time.

Here are my NIS log entries, which are a connection to compuserve via TCP/IP, followed by a disconnect 10 seconds later:

Starting compuserve, I get the following:
NIS is protecting your connection to a newly detected network on adapter "GVC-REALTEK Ethernet 10/100 PCI Adapter - Packet Scheduler Miniport" (IP address: ).

NIS is protecting your connection to a newly detected network on adapter "WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface" (IP address: ).

Exiting Compuserve, I get:
NIS is protecting your connection to a newly detected network on adapter "GVC-REALTEK Ethernet 10/100 PCI Adapter - Packet Scheduler Miniport" (IP address: ).

So, is my ethernet card actually not getting protected until this strange sequence of events?

I thought this was the place to ask this question, but perhaps not. Anyone know of an alternate site to post this question??

Is the above behavior due to the fact that my IP address has not changed since the cable modem was installed?

I'm very concerned that my connection is not secure since NIS does not provide its usual message that it is protecting the connection each time I boot the computer.