I always connect first, before I use anything that needs to connect to the internet. I've learned to do that over the years, because some programs 'jump the gun' and try to open before conncecting and say they can't open. Anyway, I do hear all the squawks, etc., see the checking username/password, and see the connected to my ISP, so when I click on the IE icon, I am connected already, and have already connected to the internet with other programs, that's why it's such a 'joke' when I see that error message.