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something's wrong with my connection

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MasterJedi
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20 Mar 2011, 5:45 pm

We recently moved into a house and the internet connection has been really slow. What tipped me off was that youtube videos, no matter the length have taken forever to buffer.

I did a speedtest a couple of weeks before we moved and we were at 19 mbps, now we're lucky to get 2 mbps.

We've run a virus scan, cleaned cookies and browser history, cleaned the C: drive and did a sweep and repair of the registry. Nothing.

Please help.


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CosmicRuss
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20 Mar 2011, 6:42 pm

BroadbandExpert says...

Quote:
Internal wiring faults
Internal wiring can have an affect on your speed. Broadband is very susceptible to interference from both electrical and radio interference. Common faults found in your premises that can affect your service are:
Extension cables (unbalanced)
Poor quality telephone sockets and connections
Faulty thermostats that controls central heating and immersion heaters
Christmas tree lights
Satellite and free view boxes
PIR security lighting
Power leads and equipment near broadband equipment

Equipment faults
Modem/router faults - Try resetting your modem/router, as with most electronic equipment, they can be prone to lock-ups (freezes). Make sure all your settings are correct; these can be confirmed with your Internet Service Provider.
You could even have a faulty modem/router or filter.
Firewall's - This is software that protects your computer by blocking and permitting programs access to your computer. Recent upgrades could possibly block you access to the internet.
Viruses/Spyware - These are programs that can infect your computer and can even prevent your browser from working. Make sure that your anti-virus software is up to date.


Reading this it all sound a bit depressing. So what do we do next? The key is to ensure that as with all problems note if there are certain consistencies with your problem i.e. the time of day etc. Confirm with your ISP what service you have and what speed you should be receiving ask them to have your line tested. (many customers do not know what type of service they have).
If you have received a fast connection in the past, ask yourself have you changed any wiring, added a piece of equipment or maybe your ISP has changed your service or facilities. Check that you have filters in all sockets that have telephone equipment plugged into them.

It could just be that the new house is served by an exchange with different equipment not able to produce the speed you had in your old place.

I have a stable 7mbps line and can only dream of your former 19mbps. :)


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20 Mar 2011, 7:00 pm

Sometimes just rebooting the routers and modems does wonders for a slow connection.


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MasterJedi
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20 Mar 2011, 7:41 pm

thanks for the replies everyone!

We've come to the conclusion that it has something to do with the ISP so we'll call to try to get them to fox it.


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MCalavera
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20 Mar 2011, 7:49 pm

That's cool, but from now on, never ever use any program that claims to clean/repair the Registry. Why? Because, sometimes, such programs can end up stuffing up your system instead of repairing it.

The Registry is not something to mess with (even via automatic programs that claim this and that) unless you're qualified to do so.



Titangeek
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20 Mar 2011, 10:43 pm

MCalavera wrote:
That's cool, but from now on, never ever use any program that claims to clean/repair the Registry. Why? Because, sometimes, such programs can end up stuffing up your system instead of repairing it.

The Registry is not something to mess with (even via automatic programs that claim this and that) unless you're qualified to do so.


I use CCleaner


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MCalavera
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21 Mar 2011, 12:56 am

Titangeek wrote:
MCalavera wrote:
That's cool, but from now on, never ever use any program that claims to clean/repair the Registry. Why? Because, sometimes, such programs can end up stuffing up your system instead of repairing it.

The Registry is not something to mess with (even via automatic programs that claim this and that) unless you're qualified to do so.


I use CCleaner


CCleaner is good for cleaning out cookies and temp files, but it's still a risk if you want to use it to clean out Registry entries.



MasterJedi
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21 Mar 2011, 9:18 am

I have that. It asks you if you want to back up the registry. I choose to do that every time.


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leejosepho
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21 Mar 2011, 9:58 am

MasterJedi wrote:
I have [CCleaner]. It asks you if you want to back up the registry. I choose to do that every time.

I used to do the same, but CCleaner has never messed anything up ... so now I just let it run.

"TCP Optimizer" is another program I have come to trust completely ...

http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php


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Titangeek
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21 Mar 2011, 11:46 am

MCalavera wrote:
Titangeek wrote:
MCalavera wrote:
That's cool, but from now on, never ever use any program that claims to clean/repair the Registry. Why? Because, sometimes, such programs can end up stuffing up your system instead of repairing it.

The Registry is not something to mess with (even via automatic programs that claim this and that) unless you're qualified to do so.


I use CCleaner


CCleaner is good for cleaning out cookies and temp files, but it's still a risk if you want to use it to clean out Registry entries.


i have been using it for years, on two different computers and never had any trouble with it.


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MCalavera
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21 Mar 2011, 4:25 pm

That's because the odds of having your Registry messed up are low if your system is already running properly. But I've seen programs similar to CCleaner render already corrupted systems unbootable because the corrupted Registry was corrupted even more. Now what use would a Registry backup be in this case? ;)

I also heard one used CCleaner itself on his extremely corrupted system and it also became unbootable. The guy who was helping him out with his problems over the Internet (via a forum) had to get him to do a clean format at the end because there was no other easy option.



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23 Mar 2011, 1:45 pm

Another problem that you may have is if you're in a rural setting, you might also be at the max limits from the DSL or Cable System's Repeater, which will also slow things down significantly.


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