Windows XP forum: Slow internet speed

Hi Linkit....I thought I mentioned that I was using Comcast cable modem but then I accidentally deleted my first post and had to type it all over again...arggghhhh. I also think I neglected to mention that I have McAfee antivirus and do run scans occasionally and never have any viruses. I do run the Adaware and Spybot on occasion and of course I find things that need to be deleted. I just wonder if I deleted something that I need. That's always a fear of mine. It's what makes me nervous to run those things but what else can you do. You run the program and you delete the files that it finds.

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the problem but on occasion I get a pop up message that states that my virtual memory is low. I'm not quite sure how that can be cuz this is a relatively new computer that came with plenty of memory and I really only use it to look things up and get my e-mail. Maybe there is some place that I can check that?

Hi there...well first of all. I have done the test at Speakeasy. I had comcast on the phone once and of course he told me to go there and check the speed. He said that there is nothing wrong with the speed and it fact, it was registering a faster speed then I was supposed to have according to him. Anyway, I just went and did it again and it registered as d/l = 30978 and u/l 1269. I did it once more and it registered as d/l = 27762 and u/l 1329. I went to that other site that was mentioned and ran that test and here is what was said. Frankly I have no clue what any of this means really.
Your Tweakable Settings:

Receive Window (RWIN): 65535
Window Scaling: off
Path MTU Discovery: ON
RFC1323 Window Scaling: OFF
RFC1323 Time Stamping: OFF
Selective Acks: ON
MSS requested: 1460
TTL: unknown
TTL remaining: 112
TOS/TOS subfield: 0
TOS/Flags:
2. Test Download

Actual data bytes sent: 1024001
Actual data packets: 703
Max packet sent (MTU): 1500
Max packet recd (MTU): 1500
Retransmitted packets: 0
sacks you sent: 0
pushed data pkts: 101
data transmit time: 4.362 secs
our max idletime: 2829.4 ms
transfer rate: 219568 bytes/sec
transfer rate: 1756 kbits/sec
transfer efficiency: 100%
3. ICMP (ping) check
Target unpingable
Notes and recommendations:
RWIN is in range
Looking good

I really have not changed the system virtual memory as I have no clue what that even is. If I need to set something to help in that regard, please let me know how to go about that and also how to get a read on my hard drive size and how much free space I have on it. I might sound like I know what I'm doing but I assure you I do not....lol. I am trying to learn though. Anytime I don't have to resort to calling the Geek Squad, I'm happy. So far I have not had to and I'd like to keep it that way. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of all the help I ever get here. I swear, it's like grabbing at a life preserver sometimes... :-)) Paige

After you put dot in System Managed size ( or change Minimum /Maximum #'s Higher), I think you have to L.Click on the "SET" button and then OK your way back out.

Hi Linkit,
Thanks to tobeach I was able to go in and get the info that you were asking about. Used space = 12 GB
Free space = 22 GB
My virtual memory is set to custom and a range of 768 to 1536

As far as what programs I have running at any given time. I really don't run any programs. I sometimes have a couple websites open if I want to keep them to view on another day. I'll have my hotmail and outlook express open cuz that's what I do on this thing for the most part. I do alternative health research which means that I might have a page or two open to read. That is why this is so baffling to me cuz it's not like I play games or the sort of thing that takes a lot of memory. What I have noticed is that pages that contain photos seem to just open up extremely slow. I'll see where it says 14 items loading...that sort of thing and slowly the photos appear. My e-mail seems to open up fine, it's just when I click on a website to go and read something. It's driving me nuts and I sometimes just walk away rather then get aggravated.

"I really don't run any programs. I sometimes have a couple websites open if I want to keep them to view on another day. I'll have my hotmail and outlook express open..." I think you're spreading your limited system resources over too many (open) baskets.

I could be wrong but I believe each time you open a 2nd or 3rd web site (for example) you CUT YOUR ISP SPEED basically in half.
If you were 56K dial up and kept 1st site open while opening a 2nd your net speed would then be 33k, a third down to 16.5. Outlook Express equals another (access cut). Similar to splitting incoming line between 2,3 or more computers.
I suggest instead, you create additions to "Favorites(IE) or Bookmarks(Mozilla)lists for those sites. that way you can pop from one to the other quickly without cutting speed. Closing the 1st allows 2nd to open at full capacity.

Pictures (depending on size) can be very large & slow to load.

If you have MS automatic update enabled, it could be checking & downloading large updates in the background while you're on line. This can really suck up resources. Better to disable & check manually & download at a time convenient when not doing other online things.

RE: OE: OE keeps a channel open to your machine as long as you have mail labeled as "unread" (also if you're using the open and wait for a "You have mail" function). OE also has a back channel that can be used by malware to deliver pop-up ads or worse.
Suggest you check mail, read what you want, the at upper left click on "EDIT" and at very bottom of drop down, click "Mark All Read". This will close that open channel. Then just close OE.
You can get AdawareSE from Lavasoft (FREE)which will find & remove ad cookies and they have a (FREE) add-on which will disable the OE back channel.From: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
Add-ons: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/download_and_buy/plugins_for_ad-aware/

I may get rid of my Hotmail! They not only download a large amount of ads (some of which can even damage your machine by causing conflicts or just by poorly programmed ;Ad Farm & Mediaplex ads come to mind). MSN AD networks were recently invaded by the Winfixer infection. Yahoo AD is currently getting hit by same which can cause infection or viewers machines. Additionally, Hotmail has started adding LIVE LINKS into users posts which could lead to trouble (like Winfixer) and your contacts may think you added the link for them to see! At very least Hotmail is using you to get their ads past your contacts junk mail box & directly into their safe "IN BOX".

There are several more items which may be slowing things down:
Major build up of ever accumulating files in system restore, temp files (reg & internet), index .dat (full history of everywhere you went since day machine was new), re-directs thru multiple servers
(invisible to you), needed defrag or disk clean-up etc.

A great little cleaner program (CCleaner)(Free) can remove most of these in under 5 seconds if you use once per day. First cleaning pass may take 10 minutes to clear backlog (often 100 or more megs of junk).
The following link to one of my posts will give you Dwnld Link & instructions:
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6132_102-0.html?forumID=32&threadID=234114&messageID=2406816#2406816


Spybot Search & Destroy (Free) will remove many spies & will (in advanced mode) allow you to see ALL programs running in the background at start up. You won't believe how many. It also, there, allows you to disable un-needed ones temporarily or long term by checking/unchecking box by each one.
Mine had 23 listed, I disabled all but 3 (not counting system inis).
The disabled ones will still start when you call for them(like printer or media player if you land at site needing it) if you click icon on your desktop
From: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html

Some Anti-Virus/security progs are major system hogs (you don't mention yours) but Symantec/Norton & McAfee come to mind. There are ones lighter on system like AVG (Grisoft) which maybe a consideration.

Hope this helps some.

That was a great tip and I've just d/l that CCleaner. Thanks for your help.

Hai

Your system may be infected by a malware or virus. Check your system with Prevx1. You can download this at

http://www.prevx.com/security.asp

Read the following articles also. First one on how to use prevx1. Second one on virus removing techniques.
http://technodata.blogspot.com/2007/03/prevx1-powerful-anti-malware-software.html

http://technodata.blogspot.com/2007/03/if-your-floppy-drive-light-is-glowing.html