ok here goes.
Last night my p.c rebooted ,I was leaning over it at the time and may have pressed one of he F keys but not sure.

Anyway I am connected via cable.The modem shows four green lights and when its connected (plugged in) to computer the fifth light flashes showing activity.

when it rebooted up again no yellow light would show and I could not access the net.I went into cmd and put in ipconfig and where it usually has :

Ip address : xx.xxx.xx.x
subnet mask :xx.xx.xxx.xx
default gateway: xxx.xxx.xx

it didnt show as that,it had

automaticIPconfigured :169.254.34.141
subnetmask:255.255.0.0

ok I tried commands ipconfig/release,ipconfig/renew and tried the repair facility in the properties of network connection folder all to no avail.

I was here for hours trying everything.I done a reformat on the disk and reinstalled xp(it was overdue fresh install anyway)

When all was done it still wouldnt work that IP was still showing.I am some what pc savy but no expert.I took out the battery on the motherboard and the memory for five minutes.I was just trying anything I could think of really.

when I put them back in viola the modem started flashing again ,I could access the net and my original ipconfig settings were back.

Questions: Was I hacked ?
Did they plant something in the memory so it stayed even if u reinstalled?

I dont know what to think of it,I posted just to see if anyone here could shed some light on the subject.

Thanks

Sound like maybe you just needed to reset your modem for it to renegotiate an IP and then you're back on the net.
As for being hacked, you need some security logs to show that, and you did not mention any firewalls, so you should get one, like ZONE ALARM PRO or the ZONE ALARM FREE to monitor your outbound connections.

You're paranoid. You have cable, you get an IP address from your modem. Like EC said, just turn your modem off/on to reset the process. Or disable the network connection through Windows and then restart it.

There is some combo or function key setup by default which links to shutdown. I have done this before cleaning keys. Heh, yes I learned my lesson.

Get a firewall installed. There are free ones like EC mentioned.

And relax a little. Taking apart your computer is a little extreme.

FYI, your memory (RAM) is volatile. When the power is off, its data is no longer valid. your battery powers your internal clock and CMOS memory. This is not executable, only an OS independent reference for configuration data. Some viruses manipulate this, but they are rare and often ineffective. In short, if your hardware is working, leave it alone.

Paranoid maybe a bit since my comp is comprimised very often by a certain paramilitary group ,reasons I cant really discuss on here.

I pulled the modem out for five minutes ,turned on and off.I tried all that I had a firewall installed but obviously if it was hacked and they gained entry the firewall wouldnt show an attack.

The IP was from a netherlands address also.

Now have zonealarm so hopefully it stay quiet.

thx for replies

"my comp is comprimised very often by a certain paramilitary group ,reasons I cant really discuss on here."

Uh huh.

IP address 169.254.34.141 is lost somewhere near Atlanta, Georgia. I did not make it to the Netherlands. Its listed owner is the IANA. Translation - odd but entirely uncomfirming.