I've been having an issue with my laptop where I will lose Internet for a brief moment every minute or so. Downloads will pause every 30-60 seconds. This also happens during games as a terrible lag spike. I went through my router and Internet provider with a fine-toothed comb. No issues found there but I ended up with a new DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem and ASUS N56U router. No issues found in the environment. Running wireless N 5.2ghz network connection. Happens on wired as well so wireless isn't the problem.
So what else could mess with a network connection? Well, host intrusion can definitely do it. So I removed Norton and the issue disappeared instantly. Downloads no longer have pauses and my games no longer lag out.
Something isn't quite right and I'm hoping someone else has seen the issue.
Dell XPS 17 MLK (L702X)
Sandy Bridge Core i7-2720QM
8 gig 1333 DDR3
Intel Advanced Wireless N 6230
WD Black 620 gig 7200rpm
NVidia 555m 3gb