For the past few weeks I have been experiencing internet problems. My cable connection has begun to move at the speed of molasses in January.
We had a Time Warner Cable guy at our house for another reason who proclaimed that the problem was that we have a "splitter" on our cable, since we have a TV and a computer in the same room. I doubted this was really the case, since it has been that way for three years and has always worked just fine. So we tried disconnecting the television cable. Still our internet activity is like a snail.
A friend said it could be our computer, so I took the box to a computer expert for a diagnostic. $150 later, the computer had some other issues corrected and new anti-virus software, but the internet is not working any better (it worked great at the computer repair shop).
I am frustrated. We have invited the cable company to come back for another look. Ten years ago I did not have internet access....now I require it....and I require it to be at the speed of light.
Any ideas? I find the readers of this blog always have the answers to problems that I cannot solve alone. This is another perfect example of how having a network enhances ones abilities to overcome obstacles.
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
thom@thomsinger.com
Firstly, just because someone ran a virus scan and proclaimed it bug free, does not make it so. Unfortunately a virus on your system can be a break in the dike, and could let in all manner of other viruses, spyware, and hacker root kits (software that hides from detection, but allows a hacker to pretty much do anything to your computer he wants, including record every keystroke, website, web password, grab files from your computer, put files on your computer, or turn it into a spam spewing machine).
ReplyDeleteFirst, go to http://www.dslreports.com/stest and click on a provider with available slots open and follow the directions to test your speed. It should give you a comparison with other people with the same service. Then with another computer (friend's laptop, etc.) go to the same site and test the speed. If they are both the same, you have nasty spy/hackerware on your machine. If yours is slower, it might be hardware, but still might also be spyware.
If your friend's computer is faster, keep it and give him yours. Or if that doesn't work, backup all your data (e.g. maxtor one-touch, etc.), format your hard drive, and reinstall from scratch. Everything.
If you don't want to do that, your choice is simple. Either buy a new computer; or install a fridge by the computer, stock well, then grab an alcoholic beverage of your choice while using.
Mike Baffoni
(Kathleen's Geekier Half)