EK> The script has been running from my desktop and another
 EK> desktop which I think takes the same route to the server,
 EK> that eliminated my desktop as the problem.   And then
 EK> yesterday I also started it from my desktop to
 EK> my other SQL Server server (which is on the same VLAN as this
 EK> one so I guess that's again the same route but if that one
 EK> doesn't have the problem then we would know it's this one,
 EK> right?), but running it double on my desktop apparently
 EK> doesn't leave any spare CPU cycles for pcAW, I can't connect
 EK> now.

if you haven't done it yet, have you tried a traceroute (tracerte in some
win os')?? that should, if the routers are advertising their addresses,
tell you the route that your traffic is taking... if you can get a
traceroute run during a failure, that'll tell you either the last good hop
or the failing one in most cases...

)\/(ark