We have 3 computers using one internet connection. 2 are desktop computers and 1 is a laptop. Sometimes, if all 3 computers are on at once, all of them go very slow but majority of the time it is this computer that is slow while the others are fine. It has taken me about half an hour to get to this stage on the website. I should say it is the internet on the computers that is slow, not the actual computers themselves.


Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can fix this?

Thanks,
Rachael

Please describe your network setup. Are you using a router? Does the laptop use a wireless connection?

Has it always been this way or is this a recent occurrence?

We are using a router, we have one main desktop computer downstairs and one upstairs which is using wireless internet and yes the laptop is wireless. It hasnt always been like this but it has been going on for a long time. We find that the two computers are the slowest when each is running together. Sometimes the computer upstairs will lose the internet connection completely whilst the laptop and downstairs computer will still be connected.

Are you allowing Windows to manage your wireless connection or some other application?

Try booting to Safe Mode with Networking and see how it works there.

I'll be gone for several hours but will check in when I get back.

I dont know if Windows manages it. It connects on its own on startup if that helps.

To have Windows XP manage your wireless network connection, do the following.

Open Network Connections.
Right click on Wireless Network Connection, select Properties.
Click the Wireless Networks tab and check the "Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings" box.
Click OK.

Shutdown and reboot to have this take effect.

Worth a try if not already being used.

Windows is managing the wireless network, the box was checked. Right now the internet is going relatively quickly but last night it took about an hour to load any website at all.

Try one test for me please. Boot to Safe Mode with Networking. How is internet performance then? The next step will be to go to PCPitStop but let's wait until you post back on the safe mode test.

Tried in safe mode, still very slow

Please Run the PCPitstop Full Tests, here: PCPitstop Full Tests

Note: Vista users with UAC must first Right-click IE - Select "Run as Administrator"

If you haven't already registered, Click - Sign up now! (left hand column in User Login)

Register and create a password
Accept the ActiveX component to allow your machine to run the Full Tests
Registering and accepting the ActiveX are both SAFE and FREE.

The Full Tests take less than 5 minutes for most machines.

Once you have your Results, please post the TechExpress Link back here into this thread for review.
TechExpress is the last item on the list in the yellow box in upper right area of any Results page.
Post the entire URL link information back here into this Forum thread.

Note: Vista users, please close your instance of IE "Running as Administrator" after you are finished reviewing your Results.

Caution: During the testing of Video Adapter, a variety of patterns, shapes, colors and text are “flashed” onto the users monitor screen. In the many thousands of daily uses of the PCPitstop Full Tests over several years, two individuals who suffer epilepsy experienced discomfort and temporary dizziness when viewing the flashing patterns.

If you know that you are susceptible to photo driven seizure, please look away from your screen during the Video Adapter testing sequence.

Note: The PCPitstop Full Tests Results is a free service, but is supported by various paid product advertisements for utilities that "could" remedy the OP's problem.

Since G2G is a "free-help" forum, we do not recommend or endorse purchase of automated utilities, and will assist you in manually correcting any problems and settings necessary to optimize your machine's performance. Ask your questions here. We'll help you walk through any necessary steps.[/color]

http://www.pcpitstop.com/techexpress.asp?id=UVL4TWCKPUGS0NE9

Great, thanks for the link.

Click on Test Details at the PC Pitstop link you gave me, read through the first 8 suggestions, but leave the Install more memory for later.

• Clean up disk space (Drive C)
• Upgrade disk space (Drive C)
• Suboptimal Internet Performance
• Defragment files (Drive C)
• Reduce System Restore space (Drive C)
• Update outdated device drivers
• Install more memory
• Adjust IE browser cache size

See how performing the suggested actions affects your PC.

It also looks like you have some duplication and overlap which may be causing some of the slow performance.

Symantec core component
Symantec Service Framework
Eset GUI (NOD32) / Smart Security
Eset Service (NOD32) / Smart Security
SpywareGuard
ZoneAlarm Firewall

I'm not sure if you are actually running multiple AV and FIrewall programs or it just looks like you are. If you are, pick one and shut down the other.

You could reboot your modem ....If your router is connected to one....And what i had to to mine was run linksy setup again......I got 3 windows xp and 2 windows vista running off router....But i believe that the windows vista was causing the problem with router.........It was always pinging the router gradually all my computers showed connected but nothing would open in internet explorer so i ran linksy set-up on one of the computers and everything was back to normal....It wasnt the laptop with vista but the compaq with windows vista that caused the problems.

One last thing. The blue (or light purple) items in the Running Programs section can be disable from the Startup tab of msconfig. That will free up resources used by those programs that are starting at boot time but don't need to.