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internet speed and connectivity


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#1
smoochy

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I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with my husbands computer.  His computer internet speed is about 1/3 of mine.  I can have our computers side by side, run a speed test on both, mine will be 75 mbps and his will be 25 mbps.  He said it started happening after an update and there was no recovery point set.  I did a factory reset of his computer and installed all updates for Windows 8.1.

 

Can anyone help me try to figure this out?  I'm pretty good with computers but I'm at a loss with this.  I don't know if it has something to do with his hardware or if something is just not functioning properly.   It's driving me crazy because he just gets so frustrated with his computer and he keeps asking me what is wrong with it.  UGH!

 

Just let me know what info you need.  :-)

 

Thanks!! 

-Leigh


Edited by smoochy, 09 October 2014 - 08:39 PM.

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#2
phillpower2

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:welcome:     smoochy,

 

On the computer that has the issue, download then run Speccy (free) and post the resultant url for us, details here, this will provide us with hardware and software information such as any services that are running that may explain the slow internet speed, security measures such as AV protection and plug ins are a common cause btw.


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#3
smoochy

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Here is the speccy URL

 

http://speccy.pirifo...7OoKVhvXJmA652k


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#4
phillpower2

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The one thing of note is that Norton AV and Firewall are being used, Norton is notorious for being a hog on system resources and for slowing a computer down, if it is the free version I suggest that you uninstall it using the Norton Removal Tool from here once done restart the notebook and check that Windows Defender** and Firewall have been automatically re-enabled.

 

If Norton is a paid for product the guidance suggested is the same but you should additionally write down your licence key number in case you ever wish to reinstall it (not likely though)

 

** Windows 8  and 8.1 have an upgraded version of Windows Defender that offers the same real time protection as Microsoft Security Essentials and so no third party AV software is actually required, the added bonus is that by not having a third party AV running removes the possibility of conflicts and reduces the demand on computer resources.

 

Just a thought, what happens when your computer is not in use/shut down, is the other computers network connection still the same.


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#5
smoochy

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Hi,

 

I downloaded and ran the Norton's removal tool and am now just running defender and windows firewall.  Restarted and ran the speed test.  No gain in internet speed.  It's actually slower now.  2.62 Mbps download and 6.49 Mbps upload.  At one point I was getting less than 1 Mbps upload.  I have my personal computer shut off right now, so that doesn't seem to be a factor.  Before I turned mine off, I was getting 65 Mbps download speed.

 

Is Windows Defender a strong AV/Malware program?


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#6
phillpower2

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Norton is apparently ruled out but leave as is while troubleshooting please.
 
Next step is to disable all add - ons in IE;
 
Open the desktop, then tap or click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar.
Tap or click the Tools button Tools button, then tap or click Manage add-ons.
Under Show, tap or click All add-ons.
 
Tap or click on each add-on, tap or click Disable, then tap or click Close.
 
If this does not improve things you should try a different browser such as Chrome, I will provide the steps for this if and when required.

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#7
smoochy

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There were 4 add-ons:  HP Network check, shockwave flash, XML Http 6.0 and 3.0.  I only disabled HP Network Check.

 

I did reboot the modem and router earlier today.  Our phones weren't picking up the net.  The modem does that sometimes. 

 

I checked the speed before and after I disabled the add-on.  The speed was faster:  28.58 and 13.70.  I'm not sure if this is due to resetting the modem or the add-on.  Just for reference I checked the speed on my computer.  I'm getting 93 and 18 right now.  So his computer is still getting 1/3 the speed of mine.

 

-Leigh


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#8
phillpower2

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Update acknowledged  :thumbsup:

 

See how things go with the present settings, if no improvement or it drops off again try using Chrome instead of IE.

Create a new restore point, download and install Chrome from here and then follow the steps below to disable IE 11.

Tap on the Windows key to open the desktop interface. Right-click on the start menu and select Control Panel from the menu.

Here you need to click on Uninstall a program under Programs. A list of installed software is displayed on the page that opens up, select Turn Windows features on or off located in the left sidebar.

turn-off-internet-explorer-11.png

Uncheck the Internet Explorer 11 box and click on ok to complete the process, this won't uninstall the browser only disable it for the most part, you should then receive a message to restart the computer.

 

JAFYI: I did the exact same thing as above after getting fed up of having issues with IE in Windows 8, I tried IE again after updating to Windows 8.1 and the issues returned so I went back to using Chrome and have stuck with it and had no issues.


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#9
smoochy

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I will have him visit his usual websites today and see how it goes.  I do have a question for you.  I have a dual band router.  Both the laptops only see the 2.4 GHz signal.  I know it's also broadcasting at 5.0 GHz (my phone and tablet both see that signal).  I know that the installed wifi on the laptops only support 2.4 but I was wondering about a USB wifi adapter.  Would that allow his computer to pick up the 5.0 Ghz signal and do you think that would increase his internet speeds? 

 

Thank you for all your help so far. 

 

-Leigh


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#10
phillpower2

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5.0 Ghz USB devices in theory are great but unfortunately poor signal range and compatibility issues will often make them an unviable option, they also tend to be expensive, an example here

 

At present we are trying to establish if this is a software or hardware issue, we have ruled out Norton and are now checking IE to see if that is the limiting factor, ping tests are fine but would be better if they could tell you what is slowing things down, with this in mind there is every chance that a 5.0 Ghz would not improve things at all if the issue is software related, best to try Chrome and/or Firefox as an alternative to IE.

 

You are welcome btw  :)


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#11
smoochy

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Hi Again,

 

After using the net for a couple of days... here is where we are.   Upon first starting the computer, he'd be getting about 20/12...  after using it for a while, the speed keeps getting slower and slower, getting as slow as 3/7, then popping back up to with the average being 7/5.   For reference, my computer is getting 60/20 at the time.  

 

I'm going to follow the instructions previously given, and install Chrome.  I will update you on how that works.

 

Thanks!

 

Leigh

 

Update:  After installing Chrome and rebooting, it was initially getting slightly higher speeds (12/8), but now it's fluctuating between 1.5 and 6 for download speeds.  :-(


Edited by smoochy, 15 October 2014 - 05:15 AM.

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#12
phillpower2

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Thanks for the update, sorry that it was not better news though  :(

 

Too soon to say that it is a hardware issue so while it is a pain in the proverbial can you now try FF instead of Chrome, download here

 

If still no improvement with FF I would suggest that the notebook is tried using another wireless connection at a friends or family members home etc, alternatively if you happen to know someone with a wireless USB dongle see if you can borrow it to try on the notebook at home, wireless cards normally just fail and not suffer low transfer speeds but they can suffer from the effects of heat, does the notebook feel hot at all and predominantly on the base.

 

NB: Was IE disabled when Chrome was tried.


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#13
smoochy

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Hi again,

 

I'm still here and working on his issues.  We were out of the house most of the weekend but he was using it yesterday.   Yes, I did disable IE when I installed chrome.  He's still getting slow speeds.  The speed slows down a LOT when he's playing music on youtube and turns on his camera in a chat program.  His music either freezes up or the browser does. 

 

What shall we try next?

 

-Leigh

 

Hope you had a good weekend  :-)


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#14
rockmilk

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Hey Follow this guide.

http://www.ihelpforu...w-computer.117/

 

If you still have issues then we will work them out here. :)


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#15
phillpower2

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smoochy,

 

You are free to follow the instructions at the link provided by Rockmilk but can I ask that if you do you disregard the JRT and AdwCleaner steps, those are tools used by malware removal experts and therefore not used outside of those forums, if you suspect/it becomes apparent that there is a malware issue we will provide you with the GTG malware redirect information which may help you to resolve the issue yourself but if not, point you in the direction of the folk that are qualified to help you with such issues.


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