Topic: [STICKY] STOP! Before you post your problems read this!

[VanBuren]

Well, if you can't reach 90% of your ISP's advertised speed you might have a problem.

Luckily that problem can be fixed in most cases by tweaking your windows registry.

There are a lot of tweak programs out on the internet. Unfortunately, not all of them do the job right.

When you need help with tweaking, add these things in your post.

1. What OS are you running? Examples: Windows 98, Windows XP. If you have XP make sure you have SP2 installed! Also download the p2p fix for SP2 here

If you have Windows Vista read this sticky http://www.testmy.net/t-18907

Answer:I'm using Win ........

If you have a MAC try BroadbandOptimizer

2. Who your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is, and what the advertised speed for download/upload is.

Answer: Cox Cable 9000.......

3. What tweaking programs you already have installed, and run this test.  Copy all text and paste it in your post! For security reasons, blank out your IP #.

Answer:TCP Optimi... and here is the result of analyzer...

4. What speed do you have against http://testmy.net and http://nitro.ucsc.edu/ also download this Tracert and Ping program (made by php) and click on check.bat.  When it's done, copy and paste the results in your post.

Answer:here is the results...

5. Under your LAN connection - properties - general tab, uninstall all the protocols there that you do not need.  You most likely only need "Client for Microsoft Networks" and "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)."  If you share files on your home network, you also need "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks."

Answer:done that...

6. Open Internet Explorer and select the Tools menu, go to Internet Options, Connections tab, click the
LAN settings button, make sure nothing there is checked.

Answer:done that....

7. Never Connect to your modem via USB ! Always connect to your modem via ethernet (NIC) and make sure you have the latest drivers for your NIC. Set your NIC duplex mode to 10mb half duplex for Cable, for DSL it depends on the ISP service unless you are using a router, if so then set it to 100mb full duplex for both Cable & DSL. If you are using a router make sure you have the latest firmware.

Answer:done that... my NIC is now set to.... and firmware is the latest available

8. Power cycle your modem, unplug it for at least 3 minutes

Answer:done that...

9. Download, update, and do a scan with SpyBot and Ad Aware to remove any spyware

Answer:done that....

10. ZoneAlarm firewall has known problems with dropping speed, I suggest to uninstall it and compare speed

Answer:done that... speed changed to...

11. Install Outpost Firewall, Sygate Firewall, or Zone Alarm.

Answer:I got Norton and ...

12. Scan for viruses with your antivirus app, if you do not have one get one, AVG, Avast!, and Ewido are great.

Answer:done that, my antivirus program is...

13. Make sure you have ALL of the latest Windows Updates

Answer:done that.....

14. Download and run CCleaner

Answer:done that...

15. Go to VanBuren testmy.net Cablenut settings and install Cablenut 4.08 and Vanburens cablenut settings version 9

Answer:Done that, but don't know what file i should use

16. If you choose to build your own tweakfile with j79zlr's webpage, I suggest to leave SynAttackProtect to 0, and use a latency value between 150 and 300 ms. If your calculated TcpWindowSize is above 65535 and your webrowsing seem sluggish, i suggest to test with a TcpWindowSize and GlobalMaxTcpWindowsize that is 44 x ( your MSS value ) and change Tcp13230pts to 0.

Answer:I havent built my own file...

VanBuren

[Swimmer]

awesome idea!!

[VanBuren]

http://thegamer.serveftp.com/FAQ.htm

Since my server is not up 24/7 you can download my tweakguide in .pdf documents and custom cablenut settings here instead

http://www.luwigie.com/tweaks/

Tnx luwigie for hosting em

This is a good start, if you still have problems, make a new post

VanBuren

[Microwave]

VanBuren,
   Yeah this is very cool and easy to understand and use,I'm sure this will be helpful to many people. Thanks for your work:)
  Microwave©

[talon223]

god...that's gotta be the best piece of advice ever....bar none...u touched me with ur words   ....thx......i wish other ppl out there were more understanding.......everyone totes the evil zone alarm...... ......SYGATE is ThE b3s7.....

[CA3LE]

Please read topic and linked topics posted at http://testmy.net/topic-1013

Please contribute any knowledge you may have to the forum. Your tips may help others in the quest for increased throughput. All contributions are greatly appreciated and sometimes rewarded.

[CA3LE]

Just would like to post a little more info

Again, Before requesting help, please read the following posts.

Topic: VanBuren testmy.net Cablenut settings >> http://testmy.net/topic-1013
Topic: Before you post your problems read this! >> http://testmy.net/forum/index.php?topic=605
Topic: Test my Cablenut Custom file update >> http://testmy.net/forum/index.php?topic=974

There are MANY other topics on this ongoing subject, you may also want to search this forum, but if all else fails please post here... we all love to help...  especially VanBuren.

[CA3LE]

Just would like to post a little more info

Again, Before requesting help, please read the following posts.

Topic: VanBuren testmy.net Cablenut settings >> http://testmy.net/topic-1013
Topic: Before you post your problems read this! >> http://testmy.net/forum/index.php?topic=605
Topic: Test my Cablenut Custom file update >> http://testmy.net/forum/index.php?topic=974

There are MANY other topics on this ongoing subject, you may also want to search this forum, but if all else fails please post here... we all love to help...  especially VanBuren.

[CA3LE]

(by the way... if this post sounds redundant it's because it is..... this is a merged topic)

[TwiZ]

my advertised speed is like 3000kbs and well since doing the tweaks i am running around....
::::::::::.. Download Stats ..::::::::::
Connection is:: 4293 Kbps about 4.3 Mbps (tested with 5983 KB)
Download Speed is:: 524 kB/s
Tested From:: http://www.testmy.net/
Test Time:: Wed Feb 9 17:32:31 EST 2005
Bottom Line:: 77X faster than 56K 1MB download in 1.95 sec
Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/id-RN52DBSHO 

so yeah not too shabby I would say
  thanks for the info all!

[cholla]

Hi Van Buren: You might add spyware blaster to your list .I think spybot s&d suggests it but I've had spybot installed for so long I don't remember.Here a site to download it.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/  Cholla

[VanBuren]

Hi Van Buren: You might add spyware blaster to your list .I think spybot s&d suggests it but I've had spybot installed for so long I don't remember.Here a site to download it.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/  Cholla

thanks for the tip Cholla, but i already suggest 2 well known good spycleaners in the list, i try to reduce the list as much as i can, but somehow it just growing lol

Im open for suggestions to change the list, if i can see in a review that eg spyware blaster is better then Ad_aware and spybot S&D

VanBuren

[keetan]

These tips are from my own personal experience & knowledge. They are seperated with asteriks. Most tips are aside from the PC related tweaks. Should you need those, please read the stickies on this thread regarding Cablenut, DrTCP and otherwise.

* Cable modems must operate on a frequency. Primarily 2 different ones. Rx & Tx. Receive and Transmit. There is a third factor involved too which is SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio). Depending per ISP specs of their network, The Receive frequency  is considered "in range" between -8db and 5db. 0 being optimal. Transmit (Tx) frequencies range well between ~38db - ~47db.
Think of these frequencies as like an analog radio with the tuning dial...too far to the left/right and the signal will be fuzzy. So speeds can definitely fluctuate on those factors. Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is calculated via algorithm formula (and I'm not getting into that). That being the third can depend on Rx vs. Tx or vice versa depending if one has bad levels and the other doesn't, OR just plain bad wiring to begin with. This leads you to wonder the following:

1. How old is the coax wiring in my house/apartment/condo/building?
2. How far away am I from the pedestal on my street?
3. How do I get it all upgraded if I need to do so?

1. If you live in a house, great! That means you have a mortgage and are investing in it. The American Dream! Typically, your coax is as old as when your house was built. They have new(er) coax wiring that the cable companies use with compression fittings instead of crimped to keep the air and moisture out, as well as nitrogen filled/shielded etc ...The type is RG6. It's a small upgrade to your house that ensures a great connection all the way. Your ISP may have a wiring plan you can enroll in rework the outlet the modem is on for better signal.

 If you live in an Multi Dwelling Unit (MDU) or (Apartment complex and or Condo) you may be out of luck. There's only so many things that can be done in a MDU for rewiring. They can't tear down the walls in a 3rd story building and rewire it...its too much time for them to do, it costs $$ to rebuild and or your property manager or worse HOA won't allow it and don't care and you're upgrading an abode you are not purchasing indefinitely.

2. Pedestals - (they look like mushrooms on the street) Beige, or green colored...every 4-6 doors down on a residential street.
Inside them is a post which holds a device called a tap. On the tap, there can be anywhere up to 8 f-barrels on it (the kind you screw the coax into). It's how you get the source of service to your house. Those lines lead underground in conduit and lead to the side of the house called the demarcation point, (or dmarc). There, its led into a) Your NIU (if your cable provider gives you phone service) and then a main splitter, or b) the main splitter for all your tv/cable outlets in your house. Main point, taps off the ped can go bad. Not often, but they do sometimes. So the odds of getting it changed out are either having a lot of trouble calls or concurring with your neighbors if they have your same problem.

 Node's feed to the pedestals. - This is easier for your provider to track reports because when cards go bad in the nodes, outages happen, people call in, & a tech is dispatched. Sometimes it could just be a bad amp to the ped. They feed your house like this....
CMTS (Headquarters)-(fiber optic)--> Headend----(fiber optic)-->Node->>--(coax)--->Pedestal--(coax)->>-(home)  So maybe an amp is going bad on the coax side, or has failed a few times...it happens.

3. Upgrading the exsisting wiring in your home could be easy. Call your cable operator to find out.

To recap -  the levels on your cable modem (cm) are tempermental to the wiring that is feeding it, so if your local tech support has the stats of your place and knows what they are talking about, have them help you out. Just like with the medical field, ALWAYS GET A SECOND OR THIRD OPINION!!!

* Now onto cable modems.

I've had 3 different models of cable modems. The earliest and first dating back to the LanCity cable modem. This wasn't spec anymore because CableLabs have invented the language platform for cable operators to agree or communicate with what is called D.O.C.S.I.S.

The second generation modem I'll begin my story is with the Motorola Surfboard 3100. It used to be a telco return.. .meaning it was dialup to upload, cable to download. They soon swapped that out with the newer SB4200. This model was very robust and would work very well without any problem. I've used it for about 4 years, and then when my ISP had given faster speeds available, I noticed my upload was awesome up to 1 Mbit but my download was lagging about 4Mb when it should've been around 9Mb. Now, I had technicians come to my house on several occasions measuring, and doing some deep research on why it wasn't getting it's speed. If you're like me, and you build computers, it certainly wasn't my computer. It was tweaked to the max, browser and much more. The techs agreed on that too. After disappointing results from the techs finding absolute nothing wrong and sad they couldn't help any longer, I figured that the modem I was using was the only factor left in the equasion. I downloaded the spec sheet for the 4200 and searched through the speeds it was capable of and it stated 42Mbps downstream or something similar.

I figured that head could be a culprit, and I decided to find a different model. They were around $100 then, AND DOCSIS 2.0 had already rolled out. My ISP was capable of that and actually was encouraging their customers when they could to upgrade (purchase) a new modem with the 2.0 spec. I purchased the D-Link DCM-202 cable modem. Hooked it up, had them provision it, and voila! I was downloading at 9Mbps without any problem.

Now, Moto has their latest sb5200, or thier premier model SG900 (with wireless) and I'm still skeptical of this #1 modem used in the US because it overheats, can't lay it on its side, doesn't blocsync, and I truly think is capped or its just the hardware they use to build it.
I spoke with someone at my ISP told me they've seen the same issues happen to their customers and if they decide to buy a new modem, I give my recommendations, but I haven't tried the other competitors as well so I can't tell you for sure if the issue can repeat, but all modems will be priced fixed around $60-70 and I'm not encouraging to buy just one brand, so...you'll have to take this advice or not.

And then...there's your computer to tweak...   =)         It's like fine tuning a car, so the best of luck!





Edited for users personal protection, per authors request :: CA3LE

[keetan]

In addition, to this topic, look for a related reply on the rx/tx levels and DNS server issues that will relate to slow downloading/pulling web pages.....Also to add to the tip above, I was recently having speed issues with a great connection, same modem and all until I realized I fixed it by adding one extra thing to my miniMac..... Memory. It had 512 to begin with. Vista is an image hog & wants memory for its GUI. Same with OS X. I capped it out at 2GB of DDR2. Pulling out all the stops now, it's like it should be.

[VanBuren]

welcome to the forum keetan

thats some good tips, and it complement the current stickys very well, since TCP tweaking is useless if you have a crappy modem/wiring.

VanBuren