QUOTE(Skotte @ Aug 26 2008, 10:43 PM)

I use Vista home premium & in my area Dial-up is basically the only affordable means of going online.
I don't always want to go online when I power up my system but sometimes in the middle of a game, I can be kicked to the desktop when the computer pops up with a window asking if I want to go online. This most often messes up Oblivion & it's really annoying & It's not a virus, scan came up clean.
If there is more info I can give that would help let me now what.
You are right, this isn't a virus, this is the price for becoming each time more regulated by intellectual property protection measures. This is the own Vista trying to verify your install and your actual hardware (yes, even the XP have the WGA, Vista is just worse) against informations at special dedicated servers. If it can't be done Vista will deactivate your system step by step, starting for the Aero features until total paralyze.
Edit: ironically only pirated installations are able to bypass this annoyan.. I mean check and does so with incredible easy.
Edit 2: You didn't say about the nature of those message windows, may be another application trying the connection though, beyond the Vista check itself.