dsl connection seem too slow

  • Thread starter Thread starter Melinda
  • Start date Start date
M

Melinda

Why is my dsl connection so slow? I have had dial-up that
was faster. I don't know if its the provider or my
computer. what should I do first?
 
Hi, Melinda -

First, make sure your virus scanner is current and scan
the machine to make sure there aren't any nasties on it.
Download and install a free program like Ad-Aware or
Spybot Search and Destroy and scan the machine for adware
or spyware. If it's still slow it's likely your
connection and not Windows. That's when I'd call my ISP.

good luck!
 
Curt said:
Have you tested your speed or is just a feeling that it is slower? You can
test it here.
http://www.dslreports.com/stest
Click to expand...

I don't particularly like those tests because they test across multiple
links and multiple servers; hence, you can't tell which link(s) are the
bottlenecks.

Instead, I suggest that you create a large file on your PC's HD (and then
defrag that HD if needed to ensure the file is contiguous). Then, upload
the file to your private area on your ISP's server and download it. You
may want to UL and DL a few times to get a sense of the range of UL/DL
speeds. The file size should be big enough to measure the UL and DL times
with a watch, so you can calculate the UL/DL datarates by hand; I've found
that some UL/DL datarate displays are erroneous (although Ipswitch's FTP
program -- a favorite of mine -- displays correct info).

You may find that UL/DL datarates vary substantially depending on time of
day; some servers (and, for broadband, some cables) may be heavily loaded
during primetime. And, don't abuse your ISP's (or the internet's) resources
by running datarate tests excessively.
 
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