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Ever downloaded 900 megabytes of a 1GB file, only to be suddenly disconnected from the Internet? You can avoid that sinking feeling if you change a few settings that can prevent your computer from unexpectedly cutting off your connection during a download.

Disable Internet Explorer's idle timer. You can turn off the automatic disconnection settings in the Internet Options dialog box.

In IE 4.x: Click View, Internet Options, then pick the Connections tab. Click the Settings button to bring up the Dial-Up Settings dialog. Clear the box next to "Disconnect if idle for..." and click OK in this dialog and the next.

In IE 5.x: Click Tools, Internet Options, then select the Connections tab. Choose your dial-up connection from the list under Dial-Up Settings, then click the Settings button. In the ensuing dialog, click the Advanced button (on the right, near the bottom) and clear both the "Disconnect if idle for..." and "Disconnect when connection may no longer be needed" boxes. Click OK here and in the next two dialogs.

Use a download manager. No matter which browser you use, a download manager application can provide an additional interruption safety net. These applications, like GoZilla, Download Wonder, and GetRight not only resume broken downloads, but also let you hit a pause button to suspend the process so you can, for example, temporarily use your full bandwidth to surf.