I give up. Is this just me or is it typical?

DROPPED CONNECTIONS:

Once in a while, my connection dies. No activity. I can have several active connections to several sites, and after maybe ten or fifteen minutes all dead. I'll open up another tab and try Google or others, and after about twenty or thirty seconds it's back online.

This has happened on different systems and flavors of Windows over the years with DSL and cable from four different ISPs. This would certainly make me THINK it's typical, but I've been a little suspicious lately because there have been times when I'd right-click on the network icon in my system tray and let windows try to repair the connection (or whatever that option is), and it repairs and my connection is then immediately available.

Any ideas? I am not technically inclined, and networking is at the bottom of my knowledge pile.

I've had this problem between two different cities among about five different PCs and ONE laptop. Between four ISPs. Four different routers. Between DSL and cable. Between XP and Vista. Firefox, Chrome, IE. Different firewalls, from Comodo to Zone Alarm.

Most of the time I click on the network icon in the system tray and GO to the Network and SHARING Center window. On the map image at the top of the screen, where my PC has a line to Network 2 (which has an exclamation point on the line) to the Internet (which has a red X on the line) -- Here I click on the red X. The Network Diagnostics window appears. I choose "Automatically get new IP settings for the network adapter "Local Area Connection." The problem almost always is resolved following this. But it keeps happening! Maybe about every hour or two, sometimes more often. On the other hand, sometimes I don't have to do anything and the connection returns after a few minutes.

Do connections typically drop like this among PEOPLE?

About an hour ago, I connected my laptop and PC to a Linksys workgroup switch and visited pages periodically with both computers. When the connection stopped, I tried to connect to google on the PC and yahoo on the laptop. Neither would connect. So, it seems to at least start at the router.

OTHER PCS CONNECTED:

Right now, there are two other PCs in my network. A little while ago there was "ASHLEY-PC". Now there are two different computers. What's going on here? I can access their shared documents. Can they get in my computer? Are we sharing the same Internet connection?

Is this why my connection drops?

SPECS:

DSL
COMTREND CT-5071T router.
NVIDIA nForce 10/100 Mbps Ethernet

Vista 32bit Home Premium, service pack 2
Compaq Presario SR5710F

Comodo Internet Suitemay i ask if you already done reformatting your PC??