hello I have a 2wire modem DSL from there to a switch 5port, cat5 cable to basement other to switch in living room and from that switch to another switch in office. All this was working FINE,now i drop my internet connection all the time,it will be good for a few minutes that drop, reconnect than drop if i unplug cat5 cable from modem and plug in laptop to modem it is fine could it be a bad switch or cable doing this?Quite likely.

You've taken a good first step, by connecting directly from the DSL modem to a computer. This tells you it's not the SERVICE itself. Cables are probably the easiest to check.Hello
Work yr way back. from the last switch to the first switch. Each step check the connection. It might be a bad CAT 5 between switches. Also u might WANT to change to Cat 5E. Write back and lets us know.thanks found it (bad switch ) it was the 1st switch all cat5 cable ok.
what do i have to gain by GOING from cat5 to cat5e? If u don't have to replace that much cable it might be worth the difference for a few more cents. Or u can install the CAT5E has u add more /replace the cable and hardware. Considering the push for gig networks (hardware like switches, routers) follow the link on this excellent article between the differences. In the future we will definitely see more gig hardware and less base 100 hardware.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_5_cablethanks i will check this out