Warning: Bandwidth hog nearby!

I'm not a fan of Qwest (believe me, that's a huge understatement), but I really like this. I'm at a coffee shop that has Qwest DSL and I just got the below error message when trying to pull up a Web page. Not only does it tell you that there's a bandwidth hog in the building -- the bane of every wireless hotspot -- it tells you the name of their machine!

In this case, there are about five laptops in the place -- and only one Mac. So the guy suddenly got some dirty looks. Of course, there is the chance that it's someone outside the coffee shop leeching the signal, but it's password-protected so that is less likely.

Way to go Qwest. Hotspot bandwidth hogs need to be called out and publicly shamed into mending their ways.

Excessive Sessions Warning

ERROR

Your 2700HG-D Gateway has intercepted your web page request to provide you with this important message. The following devices on your network are using a large number of simultaneous Internet sessions:

PowerBook-G4-15

The most likely cause of this issue is a ~blaster~ type virus which has infected the device. It is strongly recommended that the devices above be scanned for potential viruses.

Note that a large number of sessions may occasionally be the result of application software or gaming software installed on the device. If you believe this is the case, click the ~Do not show me excessive session warnings in the future~ to disable this feature.

Comments

[Karen]

I got this same message last night on my home computer.....on fast DSL.....it shut down the windows I had open...and I can no longer connect...get an error message when I try to open outlook express....any webpage I try to open, the same message comes up....so what did you have to do to get rid of this....I call qwest tech support at the number the screen gave, and they said it was a blaster type virus....I have spent an hour at another computer elsewhere looking for a virus such as this and can find nothing....

[Steve]

Thanks for commenting, Karen. Did you try the "Do not show me excessive session warnings in the future" option? Although if it's kicking you completely offline, that's not likely to solve your problem. I would definitely get in touch with your ISP and tell them they need to fix this if they want you to continue paying them... Good luck!

[Loui Zoot]

Firefox can do that real easy on a qwest router/modem. Try restarting it, and restoring session with 10 or so tabs opening at the same time. Chances are very good you will see the same message for yourself.