1 - 2 minutes after being online I am disconnected. Is this a fault of my ISP or my computer?

This is a commonly asked question and there are quite a few suggestions to try and solve this problem. Firstly, ensure that call waiting is disabled on which ever phone line your modem is using. The beeping that indicates a call is waiting interferes with the data transmission of the modem. Secondly, disconnect all other devices connected to the same phone line as the modem (e.g., phones, fax machines, etc…). Even when these devices are not in use, they still draw current from the phone line and can cause modem dropouts. Alternatively, the problem could be related to the modem itself. Go to the ‘Start’ menu > ‘Settings’ > ‘Control Panel’ and open the ‘Modems’ control panel. Ensure that the correct modem driver has been installed for your modem, as an incorrect driver can cause problems. For example, if the current modem driver installed is ‘Standard Modem’, try to identify which brand and model of modem you have (start by looking at the physical modem) and download the specific drivers for your modem. If you use Outlook Express, it may also be prudent to look at a setting which has the ability to terminate your connection after Outlook Express has sent and received email. In Outlook Express, go to the ‘Tools’ menu > ‘Options’ and, in the window that appears, click the ‘Connection’ tab. Ensure that the ‘hang up after sending and receiving’ option is not enabled. If you are still encountering the problem, let’s try reducing the speed of your internet connection, in case it is unstable at high speeds. Double-click on ‘My Computer’ on the desktop and open ‘Dial-Up Networking’. Right-click on your internet connection and select ‘Properties’ from the context menu that appears. From the window that now comes up, click the ‘General’ tab and click the ‘Configure’ button under the name of your modem. In the next window that appears, record the existing value of the ‘Maximum Speed’ of your modem and then set it to 38400. Now, click the ‘Connection’ tab and then on the ‘Port Settings’ button. Note the current positions of the sliders and then lower the ‘Receive Buffer’ and ‘Transmit Buffer’ by one notch. Click ‘Ok’ to close both the windows. After implementing this procedure, should the drop outs still occur, keep on reducing the receive and transmit buffer settings by one notch. However, if you get to the point where the buffers are at their lowest settings and the problem still occurs, reset these to their original values and the same with the maximum speed setting. Then you should contact your ISP for more help.