This problem is generally caused by one of two settings on your computer.   To fix it, first print this page so you can follow the instructions.  Then, printed copy in hand, check both situations and make corrections as needed.

1. Check your email settings.  Open OutLook Express. You should have a shortcut icon for OutLook Express on your Windows desktop. You can do this on-line or off-line.

At the top of the program screen, click on 'TOOLS'.... then click on 'OPTIONS'.   When this window opens, click on the tab "Connection".  There, you will find two lines with check boxes in front of them.  The second line is "hang up after sending and receiving" .  Make sure the box in front of it is EMPTY.  In other words, UN-check it.  Then, click "APPLY" at the bottom of the screen to save your correction... and then click "OK" to close the window.

For reasons unknown to anyone, this box occasionally manages to get checked again, even after you have fixed it. We can only assume that happens when you receive a Windows update from Microsoft. At any rate, save your printed page for future reference. It will save you from further frustrations if the problem should repeat itself.

2. Check the speed settings of your modem. When a modem is installed, by default it is set to a speed of 115,200.  This is an utterly impossible speed for a modern 56k modem to attain. By FCC regulation, your 56k modem is only allowed to go 53k. Don't even ask why..... that's just what the FCC mandated and we all must live by it. The older 33.6 modems could "possibly" achieve that kind of performance by compressing the data stream. This gave the illusion of up to 115,200  because the compressed data moved a lot more information in a given time than normal uncompressed data. It was extremely rare to see that much "speed", but the older 33.6 modems definitely moved more data on a good day than a 56k modem. However, the 56k modem was left without the ability to compress the data. Therefore, your 56k modem can attain only the maximum speed possible on your phone line, up to but never exceeding 53k.  So, you can see that setting the modem speed at 115,200 is 'overkill', to say the least. Now for the real kicker: your system will actually try to reach these speeds. One of the first things it does is check for errors in the data stream. At high speeds, even an occasional error will cause major problems, so when your system senses an error, even though it is not working at the theoretical blazing speed, it will shut down. That's right.... it will disconnect you rather than try to correct the errors because it believes it doesn't have time (at these 'speeds') to send, receive and correct errors! Obviously, this is an extremely simplified explanation of the problem, but you get the picture. I hope.  Now for the solution.
    Open Control Panel. Double-click the Modem icon. Find the button 'properties' or 'modem properties'. Click it. You should see the speed setting in a little white window with a triangle at the right. If it shows a speed of 115200, click on the triangle to access the drop-down menu and choose the speed of 57600. This will not affect the speed of your modem at all but it will make the connection more robust and better able to handle the occasional data error. Be sure to save your work.  As a further side note.... from time to time, a modem loses its ability to communicate at the higher speeds. It can make a connection, but it is either quite slow or else you begin to experience the frequent cutoffs again. If this should happen, you can come back to this setting and lower it another notch. Try your Internet connection at the new, lower setting. If this doesn't help, lower it again and try the connection again. This can be repeated until you find a speed setting that gives you a stable connection.  If your modem requires anything below 57600 to hold the connection, it's time to replace the modem. That's what a good technician does before replacing it... you can save yourself at least part of the technician fee by doing this yourself.