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DEL.ICIO.USHere’s how to be well-connected
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When I started messing with computers, connecting to another machine or network online was an exciting and unreliable affair.
It sounded like a convention of drunken ducks as the dial-up modems squealed and squawked. Back when modems worked at 300 baud the connection was so slow as to be practically useless. Text often appeared on the screen one letter at a time — like watching the typing of a slow-witted ghost.
Nowadays, connections are instant and fast. It’s practical to download large files — even entire movies — using the high speed connections that have almost become a given for home users.
That change has transformed the online world from an impractical place for hobbyists into a nearly essential tool for working from home, keeping in touch by e-mail, ordering from online merchants and banking and bill paying. It’s a true home emergency when there is a slow connection or you are unable to connect at all.
Today we’ll explore ways to keep your high speed connection working reliably.
Before we are done we’ll get into some fairly technical ways to help slow connections.
But the first tip, and it’s my favorite, is anything but technical. We’ll use it to tackle the most important problem — no connection at all. You should consider it the Holy Grail of fixes.
If your connection stops working, simply turn off the high speed modem, let it sit for a moment, then turn it back on. In most cases that will restore your Internet service. The why of this is fairly easy to understand. The two modems — yours and the one on other end — must operate in synchronization. When that synch is lost the connection goes away. By turning the modem on and off, you are forcing it to re-establish that synch.
Now — empowered with that one tip — you are almost a network engineer. So, lets expand your newfound skills by working on slow connections.
There are a lot of what the techies call “tweaks” that can improve the speed of your connection. But before you start tweaking remember that, like a physician, your first rule should be “do no harm.” Blindly making changes that you don’t understand can take a slow connection and quickly turn it into a no connection.
That’s why I recommend that you go to this Web page
It provides a service that is very much like having a technician check out your computer and connection and then recommend fixes.
Using it is simple: Just press the start button on the page and let the Web site’s software check your settings and connection speed. That takes about 20 seconds. Once done, simply press the button labeled “results.” You’ll be asked to fill in some information about your computer and then get a page of data and recommendations.
Do me a favor, though. If the test says your system is working fine, do not try to make things finer. Also, if you don’t understand some of the results or tweaks, then use the clickable links on the page to get advice and help. You’ll find all sorts of links, including a section that explains the various terms. So besides testing your system, you’ll learn enough to explain your problem in case you need to call in the professionals.
There are other things you can check at home before asking for help.
For instance, you need to know that the most common cause of a slow computer and slow connection is adware and spyware. It’s easy to understand why this nasty software is a prime suspect.
These are tiny programs that run in the background while you go about your business. The best of them simply provide marketers with an anonymous record of the sort of sites visted. The worst of them literally spy on what you do.
Since these programs are constantly running, they slow down your computer. And since they are constantly reporting back - using your Internet connection - that added traffic slows the speed of the data that passes over the connection.
That’s why eliminating spyware/adware can make a huge difference. There are plenty of choices when it comes to programs that do this. I use SpyBot Search and Destroy which can be downloaded here. Microsoft also offers a free tool called Defender, you can download it here.
There are also some quick checks you can make when it comes to hardware.
If you are using a wired router (as opposed to a wireless one) make sure there are no sharp bends in the ethernet cable. Crimping the tiny wires inside the cable can slow down, or even kill, a connection. Wiring can be tripped over or stepped on and a connection that was fine one day can be a bad one the next.
If you use a wireless router, make sure the antennas on it are vertical and that it is close enough to the computers that use the connection to offer a decent signal.
I’d estimate that these tips will cure balky connections about 70 percent of the time. But the best tips often come from my readers. So if you have suggestions on this topic, please share your tips here.
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By ted unger
November 26, 2006 12:31 PM | Link to this
ccleaner.com is an excellent remover of cookies,temp files,spyware and everything you want to get rid of.After you download it with a shortcut to find it on your desk-it takes less than a minute or two to remove all the junk and shows you just what got canned. A female computer nerd who worked(for a fee) on my unit put it in.I find it easy to use and very efficient.
By perry
November 26, 2006 02:27 PM | Link to this
AVG has been telling me the program that I have been using will be terminated on Jan. 15. I tried to download the new program and it didn’t. So I went to explorer with fre.grisoft.com and it did. Bottom line, netscape will not allow many downloads. I had the same problem with spybot.
By Guan V. Martin
November 26, 2006 05:51 PM | Link to this
Dear Sir or Madam, I have played Bankshot Billiards 9 ball for almost 2
years and have logged over 11,000 games, so you may see it’s my favorite past-time. I got a new HP a1510n computer a few weeks ago. It crashed on me a few days ago, and the only way I could get it back up was to do what they call a System Recovery by pressing F-10 on the keyboard during start up. This did get the computer back up, but what it also did was reset all settings back to the way it comes from the factory. Now when I try to play the game it will not load. the procedure is 1) click ‘games’ from the MSN home page, 2) From ‘recently played games, click Bankshot Billiards 9ball, 3) user name already displayed (saved), type in password, click go. 4) Next page shows game of 9ball overview, (rules, etc.) click ‘Play Now”. 5) Download page opens with graduating bar at the top which is supposed to load across, and then the game opens up for one to select the type of game he wants to play. But the game never downloads. After a few seconds a graphic pops up with,’ WHOOPS!!! We were unable to install your game. Click the yellow bar at the top, Install Active X Control’. I did that several times, the last time selecting the feature, ‘Always allow this feature’, so the yellow bar doesn’t pop up anymore, I’ve already installed Active X. I also went thru the full inventory where the ‘Need Help’ station suggests certain troubleshooting techniques; I tried them all. Also, I tried to play the game at work on the computer there, and it loaded just fine, so I know it must be something in the settings here on my home computer. PLEASE HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
martin5350@bellsouth.net
By C. Henry & BIE
November 28, 2006 11:22 AM | Link to this
Bill, We think you are well versed on advice regarding Internet Connections. However, to add to your comments, we would suggest or recommend the following:
1) Understand that DSL & Cable Modem are both Broadband Technologies. There are several types of DSL(s)- the typical type offered to consumers by certain phone companies is called Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL). This means in layperson terms…more signal will be sent to your computer than from your computer. “Fast Downloads” With a Cable Modem compared to ADSL in particular you have a similar concept of data transmitting, but at a higher speed. So, be wise to compare the two with research in your “neighborhood (Hint)” & pricing.
2)Note: Your Security is a greater priority on higher Internet Connections than ever before today. With the influx of DSL & Cable Modems providing high speed connections “almost” 24 hours a day 7 days a week… you easily become a target for theives, Unsolicited Bot Computer Recruiting - when all of a sudden your computer crash, slows down because multiple ports have been open unknown to you. So what do you do? Try monitoring activity by going to the ” command prompt ” or what is now the old DOS Window on a Windows Operating System…type in ” netstat -an “. This will show the number of ports open on your computer during a connection to the Internet while using a Browser. A large number (Sorry, we can’t give an exact number, but assume over 30 ports or in layperson terms… the dirty thirty lines of data) of ports is not always a good sign on an individual’s computer. Note: If you are under a “Kernel Attack” this may not help your situation as well.
Secondly, you could press “Ctrl-Alt-Delete” buttons (once) on your computer to see how many executable files are running in your “Task Manager” Program. Note: If your computer has been taken over by a “Kernel Attack”, its a likely chance that administrator priviledges will be revoked and you won’t see the the “Task Manager”- this not a good sign as well; consider expert advice immediately.
3) When your computer or your kid’s computer is not in usage, shut them completely down. You may even once in a while cut the power to your DSL or Cable Modem to further increase your security. Just remember you must start all equipment at or near the same time to gain Internet Connection…this would include the router as well if you have one in your network.
C. Henry Adams & BIE (http://www.networkingmenu.com)
By Nic
November 28, 2006 12:57 PM | Link to this
I agree with your holy grail fix of recycling the power on broad band modems to maintain synchronization, but did you know that there is a product that will do this automatically. It is a power strip (where the modem/router is connected) that can be controlled from the serial port of a PC. A ping program that runs on the PC detects the absences of a return ping and recycles the power strip accordingly. http://www.cpscom.com/gprod/bandaid.htm
I use it on my home PC since I frequently access it remotely. Even when I am home it keeps the connection up before I have to discover it. This helps in getting my inbound VoIP calls without false unavailable messages.
By Prootwadl
November 28, 2006 04:06 PM | Link to this
300 baud. I remember dreaming about using the Silent 700’s in the high school office to play games like COMBAT or EMPIRE on the U of Minn and MECC timesharing systems because they ran at 300 baud (30 CPS). The teletypes that we students were stuck with only had 110 baud accoustic modems. :-)