Help, please -_-

[Goldberg]

Ok im seriously not a Tech kind of person, but im starting to flip a lid.

I've seached everywhere and cant see a fix so here goes my cry for help.
I recently just got a Pc, (Vista 64Bit- if this means anything?-)
First off everything downloaded ok (FFxi wise) and updated ok also.
I'm currently using Virgin media ISP (UK based)
Ok so first thing i start to notice if i stay in any zone for say 1hr+ once i try to zone i d/c complete black screen with no red arrows, just black screen, after a few seconds i get an error box that says Error-3001 network connection undetectable. Yes ive googled the error but it`s more peopel asking for help then a solid fix.
Now this is wierd because first off i can still surf the net whilst this is happening.
I spoke with my ISP who just said "Everything is working as intended" <-- sounds familiar right?
From here i can log back on ingame but now everytime i zone i d/c
So the only remedy i can do is pull the plug on my modem to let it reset.
After this is done and full re-boot of Pc i can log back in and zone again no problem.

Now this is the most annoying part...this doesnt happen every d/c just like maybe once every 2days or so. Once i d/c and finally get back on i find that all my settings have reset -.-; like all my macro`s are there but all my filters/filter colours/Aspect ratio/windows/macro names are all back to default. This might not sound like much but god damn i feel like that avatar where the dude punches his keyboard then smack's his head of it...

Am i missing something simple like a setting? can these filter things be saved so they dont reset? Is it Vista? Am i just stupid? -_- actually dont answer that..
Please, i beg of anyone {Help me out}

Yes i use windower but this does exactly the same for normal mode also

If you need to no my Pc stuff settings etc: post here i`ll check back every so often..

[Cephius]

How are you connecting to the internet? (Wired or Wireless)

What kind of router are you using?

Did you set up any port forwarding?

Do you use a firewall? If so, try turning it off or making sure FFXI and POL are allowed through it.

When FF disconnects, can you still browse the internet?

[Goldberg]

Sorry should have mentioned,

# Firewall is set to allow (my understanding is it wouldnt allow any FFxi unless i allowed it?)
# Port forwarding i dont even know what that is to do anything to it
# Wired
# Can browse sometimes but mostly no
# Using a wired connection straight from the PC to the modem (No router used)
Using Zonealarm but all the correct access rights given to POL and FFXI
Internet and other online programs function fine when FFXI crashes, its just a problem concerning zoning
I should also mention that once i get back on game i pop back up in the zone i attempt to get to, ie its not booting me back to the zone im leaving And this NEVER happend on my old Pc which was XP, which was far less of a mchine im using now