This has stumped Charter Cable, my broadband ISP!
I have two computers both running Windows 98, one a 233mmx and one 150 mmx laptop. When connecting to my cable modem and running a speed test the 150 mmx downloads at the promised speed of 2 meg. the 233mmx downloads averaging around 900 kbps never getting above 1 meg.
the 233 has all non essential programs turned off, norton virus checker and black ice are off. nothing is checked on in msconfig/startup.
i am using the same modem, same cat 5 wire etc when hooking up both computers but get 1/2 the promised download speed on one.
any thoughts would be appreciated. Charter cable has had three techs here to fix but they have given up!
Thanks in advance for the help.....this is a great site
Swr
swrichardsons@hotmail.com
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thanks for you interest. hope this helps you to help me.
RAM.....150 = 32 MB
233 = 128 MB
No Router or Hub. It is direct computer to cable modem, a Toshiba PCX-1100 via a blue cat 5 wire with snap clips on each end.
file access on both seem about the same with no noticible difference.
Computers cannot be used at the same time as I only have one connection on modem.
SWR
Can you paste the results of the following? (once for each computer):
-ipconfig
-ping experts-exchange.com -n 10
also, if the result of ipconfig is a local IP such as 192.168.100.? then also give us the results of:
-ping <gateway> -n 10
Where gateway is the the ip listed as your "Default Gateway" in the output of ipconfig.
The purpose is to determine whether or not the NIC in your 233 is having performance issues. If this is not the case then you may want to try looking for windows 98 broadband configuration tweaks.
A couple of places to try:
http://www.winguides.com/r
http://compnetworking.abou
Make sure you backup your registry before trying any tweaks!
Well in correction to the first step above (as Casca noted... thanks), enter "winipcfg" at the command prompt on windows 98 to get your IP info. you can open the command prompt from START --> Programs --> Accessories. Note your ip address and default gateway, you dont need to tell us your ip address. At the command prompt, enter:
ping experts-exchange.com -n 10
then hightlight the results and paste them here. (on the command prompt window click on the top left menu button, then edit, and select "mark". this will allow you to highlight text in the command prompt. After highlighting, just hit enter to copy, then you can paste into another window)
next enter: ping <gateway> -n 10
substitute <gateway> for the ip listed as your default gateway.
It would be great to see the results from both computers as a comparison, but if you dont have time, just work with the 233 and let us know the results.
Sorry for the confusion...
Thanks for sticking with me.......
when i run ping experts exchange on the 233 i get
reply from 64.156.132.140: bytes=32 time = 51, 50,51,52,59,49,49,49, ms ttl=50
the time is the only thing changing on each line. the screen only appears for an instant so i couldnt paste it here. i hit print screen and pasted what it captured into word pad and read it!
When i ping the gateway on the 233 i get :
reply from 66.169.180.1:bytes=32 time= 8,9,9,8,7,8,9,9, ttl=225 again the only thing changing is the time on each line.
if you still need the info on the 150 computer i will have to send later just let me know
thanks for the help.
Your times look pretty consistent. If all replies were received then its definitely not a connectivity problem. Did you run the speed test more than once to verify that there wasn't just lag at the ISP when you ran the test? And when you ran the test did you choose the same/closest server from both computers?
A couple of tests you may want to try:
http://bandwidthplace.com/
http://speedtest.dslreport
http://webservices.cnet.co
http://www.testmyspeed.com
I used the pc pitstop http://www.pcpitstop.com for both computers using the 2 Mbyte test several times the 150 computer is averaging twice the speed of the 233. Usually about 1400Kb/s to 750 Kb/s download speed.
swr
Have you tried their auto-tweak?
At the bottom of their speed test results page:
"If you have a cable modem or DSL connection that is not performing well, we have created a simple AutoFix that can often give you a big speed boost. The AutoFix modifies just one entry in the registry, the receive buffer size, and can also reset the value back to its default setting. In most cases, this is the only value that needs to be tweaked."
Try this and see if it helps.
Lanman2
Merry Christmas to you and your wonderful suggestions. followed your advice and.............
I went to http://www.pcpitstop.com for a speed test. I got 812 Kb/s. Used their Internet Speed Auto Fix program offered at the bottom of the 2 meg high download speed test result page. Ran the speed test again and again and again. Got over 2 meg each time I ran the test! Went to another speed test site ran their test for comparison and got over 2 meg each time I ran the test.
I really appreciate the help.....such a Christmas present! this old dog of a computer has a new lease on life, thanks to you.
SWR
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by: lanman2Posted on 2003-12-15 at 16:08:58ID: 9945940
Can you give us more info on the hardware specs?
how much RAM do the computers have?
how are they linked to the cable modem? (router/hub, router/switch, direct to modem, etc?)
If through a hub, is your "collision" light on frequently when downloading?
When using the 233mhz computer in general, does file access seem to be unusually slow?