Recommended Posts

For the past few weeks I've been getting around 1-2mb download speed. I'm paying for 6mb. Comcast has been to my house almost every other day since then, thinking that they found the problem. They never really did anything, though. The most they did was get new cables, then do speed tests over and over for about an hour. None of them new a thing about computers. "Sorry, we don't know about computers..."

Then why are they working their?

Anyway. Today they pulled out a laptop and tried it on my same connection, and they were getting around 8mbps down speed. They used the same site I did, but get better results. They're now convinced that there's something wrong with my computer. Since there's apparently only one man at Comcast who knows how to use a computer, he'll be coming up this Friday.

But I'd rather save myself the trouble of dealing with them again.

Is there any way I can determine what may be reducing my internet speed?

I've turned the firewall off. Same. Used direct modem rather than through a router. Same. Tried a different Ethernet card. Same.

To my knowledge, I don't have any strange processes running that would interfere. I just scanned the other day, the only things that were found were a few cookies. (Running NOD32, Spybot, superantispyware.) Computer's running fine.

Also, when testing on dslreports.com, when the upload speed test is running, a get a message saying "ISP compression detected, results may not be accurate." No one at comcast has any idea what "ISP compression" means. They say they're not limiting my account at all or anything.

They'd don't have the slightest clue what's wrong, since one computer gets 8mbps, while mine gets 2.

Any ideas?

I don't really know where to start...perhaps just back up everything you want on your computer and reformat? That is if you don't really care to know what is causing your problem and you're really convinced that it's your computer and not comcast throttling you.

was the person that ran the speed test doing so with or without your router connected... did he connect directly into the modem. If this is the case i have experienced this before where the router is in the process of going bad will slow down connection speed to a crawl before totally dieing.

I just reformatted about a month or two ago. It was working fine for a while, then the speed died. I tried using another account that I have on the computer that I have set to "performance" mode, with hardly anything running, and I got the same results. Already flushed the DNS a bunch of times.

Although I don't see anything in my processes that could kill my speed, there may be. I'm not the best when it comes to this kind of thing. But I don't see anything that would be using up bandwidth...

Edit: He got good results with and without the router.

Also, I wanted to try and load safemode, but for some reason my computer won't load up safemode properly... Safemode without networking sometimes works, but with networking it doesn't. My computer's somewhat stupid...Lol.

I don't really know where to start...perhaps just back up everything you want on your computer and reformat? That is if you don't really care to know what is causing your problem and you're really convinced that it's your computer and not comcast throttling you.

+1 but I don't think comcast is throttling since there isn't any problems on the laptop.

TheMelee, how are you getting around 8Mbps if your paying for 6, what site did you use? What do you get with Speedtest.net on both computers? Maybe get a livecd and test your connection under linux on the same computer.

another option if safemode does not work is to run a linux live CD and test the speed with that. just in case there is something in windows that even in safemode is wonky (such as connection configurations and such)

was the person that ran the speed test doing so with or without your router connected... did he connect directly into the modem. If this is the case i have experienced this before where the router is in the process of going bad will slow down connection speed to a crawl before totally dieing.

I just replaced a router a month or so ago because of that very same problem. Other than my connection speeds dropping I was also getting frequent disconnects.

Well, I've determined that it has to be something wrong with windows. I just ran Ubuntu and got 22mbps down. :blink:

Speeds were amazingly fast. Back to windows now, and it's down to 2mb again.

What's wrong here?

Should I screen shot my processes?

Hello,

I wonder if your computer may be infected by a form of malware using stealth or rootkit-type technologies to bypass detection by your trifecta of anti-malware software. The low bandwidth report plus the fact that you cannot start in Safe Mode implies the possibility of an infection as some malware prevents the VGA driver from initializing in Safe Mode to make their creations more difficult to remote.

You could try running an anti-rootkit program like Blacklight, GMER, RkU and so forth to see if they find anything anomalous with the system.

Another thing you might want to try is booting your computer from a Linux Live CD with anti-malware software on it in order to scan the computer from outside the normal Windows environment. One disc you can try is the Trinity Rescue Kit.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Why hasn't anyone suggested he try taking the laptop up to his room to see if it could be a line fault? (damaged cat5 can reduce speeds)

It seems people are misunderstanding and not fully reading my first few posts. The laptop was the comcast worker's. He used the same line, modem, etc. and got better speeds than my PC. I don't have a laptop.

Also, I stated I tried Ubuntu live CD (Linux based OS) and I got 22mbps download speed.

I'll try running one of the programs that goretsky mentioned.

I scanned with GMER... I have no idea how to work this program, so I saved a log.

(I'm aware that utorrent and peerguardian are running at the moment. They aren't causing the major slowdown.)

I couldn't upload the notepad file, so I uploaded it in a wordpad document.

rootkitlogthing.rtf

I'm sorry for posting three times in a row, but I was unable to edit my last post due to time constraints.

I just did another speed test on all 3 of my browsers.

Firefox: 2mb

IE: 6-8mb

Google Chrome: 7mb

Something's up with firefox...

Even though those speeds are great, why in the world was Ubuntu pulling 17-22mbps?

I'm sorry for posting three times in a row, but I was unable to edit my last post due to time constraints.

I just did another speed test on all 3 of my browsers.

Firefox: 2mb

IE: 6-8mb

Google Chrome: 7mb

Something's up with firefox...

Even though those speeds are great, why in the world was Ubuntu pulling 17-22mbps?

because you are probably doing something wrong

I'm sorry for posting three times in a row, but I was unable to edit my last post due to time constraints.

I just did another speed test on all 3 of my browsers.

Firefox: 2mb

IE: 6-8mb

Google Chrome: 7mb

Something's up with firefox...

Even though those speeds are great, why in the world was Ubuntu pulling 17-22mbps?

I used to have speed issues with FF try disabling all add-ons and the re-enabling them one by one to see if one of them is sucking bandwidth......

By disabling my (14) add-ons i got a 2 to 3 second reduction in load time...

also thank you for giving a wee project that i want to try now.

Edited by yurithedragon
I'm sorry for posting three times in a row, but I was unable to edit my last post due to time constraints.

I just did another speed test on all 3 of my browsers.

Firefox: 2mb

IE: 6-8mb

Google Chrome: 7mb

Something's up with firefox...

Even though those speeds are great, why in the world was Ubuntu pulling 17-22mbps?

What do you get on these browsers when you actually download a big file. Try something fast like a video from Revision3.

Anyone else think it might be worth bringing your system to a friend/neighbour just to make absolutely, positively sure it only happens with your Windows setup, and the problem isn't with your line/modem/router?

OTOH, since you've already established that you're getting decent speeds when running off a Live CD, that pretty much narrows it down...

Or try a clean VM, hosted through your existing Windows setup.

What do you get on these browsers when you actually download a big file. Try something fast like a video from Revision3.

Firefox - 13 to 16 minutes for a 565mb file

IE - 11-13 minutes for 565mb file

Pretty much the same thing.

Just out of curiosity, should Firefox be using 70,000k of memory usage? Last night it was using 159,000 with just one tab open. (Neowin.)

Memory leak causing the bandwidth slowdown?

Firefox - 13 to 16 minutes for a 565mb file

IE - 11-13 minutes for 565mb file

Pretty much the same thing.

Just out of curiosity, should Firefox be using 70,000k of memory usage? Last night it was using 159,000 with just one tab open. (Neowin.)

Memory leak causing the bandwidth slowdown?

Did you try disabling all add-ons?

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Nothing kills CMF Phone 2 Pro's successor due to rising memory prices by Hamid Ganji Storage and RAM prices have been rising over the past year, leading to a significant increase in the cost of electronics for customers around the world. Many companies are now revising their plans for upcoming devices due to higher component costs and overall production expenses. CMF is the latest company to cancel the successor to one of its best-selling phones due to rising memory prices. CMF is a sub-brand of Nothing and focuses on making budget smartphones for growing markets. The brand launched the CMF Phone 2 Pro last year with some eye-catching specifications and an affordable price. While many customers may have been waiting for a successor this year, one of the company’s executives has announced that CMF will not release a new smartphone this year. And AI is to blame. As Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis announced on X, the company has been working on a successor to the CMF Phone 2 Pro, but with current memory prices, it cannot “build a phone that feels like a genuine step forward at a price that makes sense for CMF.” So, no new CMF phone will be launched this year. Meanwhile, Evangelidis said the company still has several new products in the pipeline, including some in entirely new categories. He added that the Nothing brand will also continue launching new products through 2026. Budget smartphones are among the first victims of the surge in RAM and memory prices, as they have become more expensive to build. The sharp increase in memory costs could also reshape the traditional price ranges associated with budget phones. Apple CEO Tim Cook also recently said that price increases for some of the company’s products are unavoidable because RAM and memory have become significantly more expensive this year. Analysts estimate that the base price of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro could rise to $1,399 due to current market shortages.
    • Nudge me when they bring back hardware audio acceleration so I can get my EAX 5 back. We've evolved graphics to real-time path tracing, but regressed audio some 15 years back in time with this stupid software audio stack.
    • Ocenaudio 3.19.4 by Razvan Serea  Ocenaudio is a full featured, fast and easy to use audio and music editor. It is the ideal software for people who need to edit and analyze audio files without complications. Ocenaudio also has powerful features that will please more advanced users. To assist ocenaudio development, a powerful toolset of audio editing, analysis and manipulation called Ocen Framework was created. ocenaudio is also based on Qt framework, a well known library for cross-platform development. Cross-platform support ocenaudio is available for all major operating systems: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Native applications are generated for each platform from a common source, in order to achieve excelent performance and seamless integration with the operating system. All versions of ocenaudio have a uniform set of features and the same graphical interface, so the skills you learn in one platform can be used in the others. VST plugins support Ocenaudio supports VST (Virtual Studio Technology) plugins, giving its users access to numerous effects. Like the native effects, VST effects can use real-time preview to aide configuration. Real-time preview of effects Applying effects such as EQ, gain and filtering is an important part of audio editing. However, it is very tricky to get the desired result by adjusting the controls configuration alone: you must listen the processed audio. To ease the configuration of audio effects, ocenaudio has a real time preview feature: you hear the processed signal while adjusting the controls. The effect configuration window also includes a miniature view of the selected audio signal. You can navigate on this miniature view in the same way as you do on the main interface, selecting parts that interest you and listening to the effect result in real time. Multiselection for delicate editions To speed up complex audio files editing, ocenaudio includes multi-selection. With this amazing tool, you can simultaneously select different portions of an audio file and listen, edit or even apply an effect to them. For example, if you want to normalize only the excerpts of an interview where the interviewee is talking, just select them and apply the effect. Eficient edition of large files With ocenaudio, there is no limit to the length or the quantity of the audio files you can edit. Using an advanced memory management system, the application keeps your files open without wasting any of your computer's memory. Even in files several hours long, common editing operations such as copy, cut or paste happen almost instantly. Fully featured spectrogram Besides offering an incredible waveform view of your audio files, ocenaudio has a powerful and complete spectrogram view. In this view, you can analyze the spectral content of your audio signal with maximum clarity. Advanced users will be surprised to find that the spectrogram settings are applied in real time. The display is updated immediately when altering features such as the number of frequency bands, window type and size and dynamic range of the display. Ocenaudio 3.19.4 changelog: Adds fallback fonts so every language and symbol displays correctly Improves autosave and session recovery stability Improves region navigation and display Fixes a crash when the level meter is used on displays with a scaling greater than 200% Fixes memory corruption when using the silence selection tools Fixes crashes when closing a file while effects are still being processed Fixes a freeze when applying effects to many files at once (macOS) Fixes crashes related to audio devices on Windows Fixes invalid file names when exporting regions whose label is used as the file name Other bug fixes and improvements Download: Ocenaudio 64-bit | Portable | ~40.0 MB (Freeware) Download: Ocenaudio for Linux and Mac OS View: Ocenaudio Homepage | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Hasleo Disk Clone 5.8.2.1 by Razvan Serea Hasleo Disk Clone is a free and all-in-one disk cloning software for Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista and Windows Server that can help you migrate Windows OS to another disk, clone one disk to another disk or clone one partition to another location quickly and efficiently. Completely Free Windows Migration and Disk/Partition Cloning Software Migrate Windows from one disk to another without reinstalling Windows, apps. Clone one disk to another and makes the data on 2 disks are exactly the same. Clone a partition to another location without losing any data. Easily adjust the size and location of the destination partition. Convert MBR to GPT or convert GPT to MBR by cloning. Creation of Windows PE emergency disk. Extremely fast cloning speed and multi-language support. Supported OS: Windows Vista/Server 2008 or later, fully compatible with GPT and UEFI. Hasleo Disk Clone 5.8.2.1 changelog: Fixed an issue that caused disk enumeration to fail Fixed an issue where WinPE created under Windows ARM64 26H1 did not work properly Download: Hasleo Disk Clone 5.8.2.1 | 32.3 MB (Freeware) Link: Hasleo Disk Clone Home Page | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • This got me thinking, would you rather a self driving car prioritise protecting its passengers or everyone else? I'd choose the one that keeps me and my kids safest. At some point, these cars have to make those choices already, don't they? Wonder if we have a way to find out what way they lean.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Collaborator
      ryansurfer98 went up a rank
      Collaborator
    • Week One Done
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Year In
      Skeet Campbell earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Sharbel earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      552
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      188
    3. 3
      Michael Scrip
      78
    4. 4
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      74
    5. 5
      neufuse
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!