I have the same problem and have spent 10 hours researching and trying to find a solution.

Using XP Pro. Everything worked fine for a year and suddenly I cannot automatically connect to the internet by opening IE6 (using DSL through PPPOE). I am using the same dial-up connection that has worked before.

It connects fine if I open Outlook or Symantec Live Update. Or even if I type a URL in Windows Explorer. But using IE.

Solutions Tried:

-) Checked Zone Alarm Pro, IE is OK to access Internet.

-) Tools > Internet Options > Connections tab. Making certain that default connection is correct and Always use Default connection is selected. All auto disconnects are cleared. All auto detects are cleared.

-) I deleted temp Internet files, cookies, and History as per Microsoft's instructions.

-) I checked registry to make certain that the SEN values are set to auto and not yes as per Microsoft's instructions.

Still, no luck. Remember, it connects fine if I manually connect, use Outlook, or Symantac Live Update.

Any help out there?

Also I am connecting directly to the DSL modem, no router.

I started having the same problem 2-3 days ago and also have tried everything I can think of to get it to work again.

There was no particular reason for this to happen so I ran my virus checkers but they found nothing. Nothing has changed on my computer recently.

The only way I can get on is to dial using the dial up connection then start IE6, then go to "home" because IE6 first says that the "web page is not available offline".

I see another recent posting below with the same problem. Wonder if there is an undiscovered virus running around.

I too need some ideas.

Thanks

Which company is ur ISP? What software do you use to connect? Check that software see if there is an automatic connect option.

I get this often, Sometimes this does happen for no apparent reason, one thing you can do is call your dsl provider and tell them you want a new modem(most new dsl modems have "always on" connections). You can also get a router, thats one way thats fairly simple and not too costly as long as you don't get wireless. You could try to use a shortcut to an internet site as your ie opener and see if that lets you auto connect b/c you said it did when you typed in a url. You could also set your ie homepage to blank and open it then type in a url and you would be connected. Have fun

I'm working on a similar problem and I just tried an experiment. I created a new profile to see if the problem would exist there as well.

In the new profile, IE6 worked like it was supposed too. You might want to see if this will work for you as well.

One difference - I'm working on Dialup and not PPPoE.

Using Earthlink and not using their software. Just setup a connection using the XP connection wizard.

The profile thing is interesting but it must only work for new profiles. My wife also has an account (profile) and when I logon to her account, the same problem occurs when I start IE.

I do own a DSL switch/router and have been procrastinating. Maybe this is the time to set it up finally.

Do you think the same thing will happen with a network connection and the router? Probably not because I will not be using the dial-up connection (using dial-up with PPPoE) but a network connection.

Finally, the new modem thing is interesting but I have the router so I should try it.

But don't you guys think that it's really strange the so many identical issues are occurring in such a short time? I mean at least 5 posts here in two days about this IE connection issue? Could it be a new virus?

Or could it be an issue with the IE Service Pack 1 security patch that was just released and that I installed?
Hmmm...

Do you use Spybot? My brother ran it last week to clean up spyware. Afterwards, his browser would no longer work. He restored the changes through Spybot and everything is fine now.

Well, I didn't get onto the computer yesterday, but just now I sparked up the machine and opened IE. And just what Rainmaker said happened. IE opened the dial-up connection and connected to Earthlink.

So, just as mysteriously as it came, it went...so far.

Is this an IE bug?

Oh, well. Thanks to all for your help and I will call Earthlink about this.

I'll keep you updated if it happens again.