"The thing I'll have to train myself and kids to do is always disable connection before powering down 'puter. Otherwise it is remembered in shut-down settings to be on." Huh? There's been a time or two (or five) when I shut down my computer with the connection still live. And no, it didn't come up at the boot time. Yours does that because it's written somewhere. To disable it (from Microsoft): Remove Programs That Dial into Your ISP from the StartUp Folder Remove the programs that automatically check for updated components or Web pages from the StartUp folder: 1. Right-click Start, and then click Open. 2. Double-click the Programs folder. 3. Double-click the Startup folder. 4. Drag the programs that automatically check for updated components or Web pages from the Startup folder to another folder. When you do this, the programs are prevented from starting when Windows 95 or Windows 98 starts. To start the program after you move it from the Startup folder, locate and click the program on the Start menu. Registry Entry Is Set to Dial To resolve this issue, configure Internet Explorer to not connect by using a modem, or set the value in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftOLEEnableRemoteConnect registry key to N. WARNING: Some programs may configure the registry to dial automatically, and altering this registry value may impact these program's functionality. To set the value in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftOLEEnableRemoteConnect registry key to N: 1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then press ENTER. 2. Locate and click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftOLEEnableRemoteConnect 3. In the EnableRemoteConnect registry key, right-click the value in the right pane, click Rename, and then type N. How to Remove the MSDTC Service from the StartUp Folder To remove the MSDTC service from the StartUp folder: 1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar & Start Menu. 2. On the Start Menu Programs tab, click Remove. 3. Double-click the StartUp folder. 4. Click the MSDTC service, and then click Remove. 5. Click Close, click OK, and then restart your computer. If you do not want to remove the MSDTC service from the StartUp folder, configure Internet Explorer to connect to your ISP by using a local area network (LAN). When you want to connect to the Internet, first connect to your ISP by using Dial-Up Networking, and then start Internet Explorer. To configure Internet Explorer to use a LAN: 1. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop, and then click Properties. 2. On the Connection tab, click Connect to the Internet using a local area network, and then click OK. NOTE: If the MSDTC service is not loaded from the StartUp folder, remove the Msdtc value from the registry. To do this: 1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then press ENTER. 2. Locate and click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunServices 3. In the RunServices registry key, right-click the Msdtc value in the right pane, and then click Delete. All from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q175312/.

-- erlik