#294433 - 01/03/2007 00:35
Processes in Windows
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addict
Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 658
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I have two different laptops at home. When I test my cable speed (speakeasy.net) with each laptop, I consistenly get around 3 kbps down on one versus around 8 kbps down on the other.
What is the best way to find the process in Windows that is slowing me the hell down? I could have swore someone here posted a link to a program that did something of that sort. If not, does anyone have any recommendations for a program that does something like that?
thx.
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#294435 - 01/03/2007 01:58
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: MarkH]
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addict
Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 658
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Hmm, I'm not sure if that was it. I tried it but couldn't find the culprit.
I don't understand it. I just finished running the most up to date AVG and got a no threats result. Windows Defender doesn't turn up anything either. Still, I get less than half the speed on one laptop versus the other.
What gives?
Edited by visuvius (01/03/2007 02:09)
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#294436 - 01/03/2007 02:50
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 7868
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How are they connected to the internet? Do they show differing speeds on LAN file copies as well? Could just be a bad driver on the slower one, or a failing network card.
A good test to eliminate the OS and drivers would be to boot to a Knoppix or similar CD and try the speed tests on it.
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#294437 - 01/03/2007 07:22
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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enthusiast
Registered: 29/03/2005
Posts: 364
Loc: Probably lost somewhere in Wal...
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#294438 - 01/03/2007 11:00
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
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Quote:
I have two different laptops at home.
Are the laptops comparable?
When I first started going out with Jenni, I got DSL installed at her flat. Her crappy P133 computer was significantly slower at downloading than my 850MHz Pentium M laptop.
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-- roger
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#294440 - 01/03/2007 13:12
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
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Quote:
I have two different laptops at home. When I test my cable speed (speakeasy.net) with each laptop, I consistenly get around 3 kbps down on one versus around 8 kbps down on the other.
A whole 8kbps down? Blazing fast cable you've got there 
I vote for Process Explorer as well.
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#294441 - 01/03/2007 15:00
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 13/01/2002
Posts: 1649
Loc: Louisiana, USA
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I once had a Netgear NIC on a desktop machine that behaved in a similarly slow fashion. It wasn't what was running on the PC, it was the card (or its driver). I replaced the card with a different brand and all was well.
I suppose these NICs are built in on your laptops correct? If so, it would probably take some doing to get at the mini-PCI or whatever card format they use to try replacing it.
Stu
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#294442 - 02/03/2007 01:14
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: maczrool]
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addict
Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 658
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Thanks for the posts.
I'm such a dork. I should have questioned the hardware earlier. I didn't check till you guys questioned the NIC.
I'm using a wireless card on one of the laptops and it is what seems to be the problem. I connected to the router via ethernet and I got my full speed.
Now to find out what the heck is wrong with my wireless-g card. Its brand new; not the greatest brand but it shouldn't be this bad.
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#294443 - 02/03/2007 05:28
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
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Are you sure it is connecting at 802.11g speeds? Sounds like the AP is an 802.11b one?
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#294444 - 02/03/2007 08:21
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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old hand
Registered: 07/01/2005
Posts: 893
Loc: Sector ZZ9pZa
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I assume the laptop you are using has a wired networking socket as well (every laptop has one, right?). To narrow it down properly you should try that and see whether it is still slow.
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#294445 - 02/03/2007 17:28
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: tman]
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addict
Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 658
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Quote:
Are you sure it is connecting at 802.11g speeds? Sounds like the AP is an 802.11b one?
The router broadcasts b & g. I've set it to g only and I still get the same issues.
Quote:
I assume the laptop you are using has a wired networking socket as well (every laptop has one, right?). To narrow it down properly you should try that and see whether it is still slow.
Unfortunately I have no idea what this means.
So far, I've tried every channel from 1 - 11 and I get the same issue. I've also tried adjusting the MTU from 1500 to 1400, 1436 and 1492, same issue.
I tried these things after contacting the support line for the card. They claim that it is probably the router but I highly doubt this. The other laptop connects just fine AND when I connect the slower laptop with ethernet I get my full speed. Anyhow, the guy said it can only either be the Beacon Interval setting or the MTU setting. Well I couldnt find any setting having to do with Beacon Intervals so I tried adjusting channels and MTU settings. Nothing.
When I contacted the netgear router support, I told him the whole story and he told me to ping yahoo and I did and got some sort of response. Then he told me to run the following command:
ping www.yahoo.com -l 1500 -t
I have no idea what this command does but when I did this, it sort of hung and the support guy said that for some reason my laptop was not receiving everything my router was sending out. Unfortuantely I didn't have the alternate laptop available at the time to run the same command.
I swear to God I get the weirdest computer issues.
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#294446 - 02/03/2007 17:42
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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old hand
Registered: 07/01/2005
Posts: 893
Loc: Sector ZZ9pZa
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Quote:
when I connect the slower laptop with ethernet I get my full speed.
That is what I wanted you to try, but I explained it badly.
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#294447 - 02/03/2007 18:07
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Quote:
Unfortunately I have no idea what this means.
He means "plug it in via wired ethernet and test it". Which you've already done.
Quote:
ping www.yahoo.com -l 1500 -t
It sends ICMP echo request packets to www.yahoo.com that are 1500 bytes in size, and does so until you tell it to stop.
The fact that you're getting no response does tend to point to an MTU issue. (Well, assuming that a "normal" ping to www.yahoo.com works. Test that first.) Change it to 1499 and try again. Then 1498, and lower and lower until you start getting responses. Then try setting your MTU to that number plus 8. If that doesn't work, try just that number. (I'm not sure if the 1500 is specifying total packet size or just payload size.)
Edited by wfaulk (02/03/2007 18:09)
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#294448 - 02/03/2007 18:09
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14491
Loc: Canada
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Screw that. Just knock the MTU down to 1460 and get it over with.
If it still fails, then you know that this was not the problem.
Cheers
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#294449 - 02/03/2007 18:13
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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There might be some weird configuration that would require an even lower MTU. And since Windows requires a reboot every time you change the MTU, my way would be faster while allowing you to get the most efficient MTU. Assuming you used some sort of intelligent search algorithm. Start at 1400: no response, go to 1300; response, go to 1450. Keep splitting the difference. You'll find it in, what, 15 iterations?
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#294450 - 02/03/2007 19:14
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: wfaulk]
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addict
Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 658
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Quote:
Well, assuming that a "normal" ping to www.yahoo.com works. Test that first.
It does.
Quote:
And since Windows requires a reboot every time you change the MTU...
I did not realize this. I did not reboot every time I changed the MTU in the router settings. I hit update, saw the new number and figured it did the trick.
Is the same true for changing channels?
If so, I'll try adjusting both again while rebooting this time.
Edited by visuvius (02/03/2007 19:15)
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#294451 - 02/03/2007 19:17
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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No, changing channels does not require a reboot.
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#294452 - 02/03/2007 19:39
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: visuvius]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14491
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
Quote:
And since Windows requires a reboot every time you change the MTU...
I did not realize this. I did not reboot every time I changed the MTU in the router settings. I hit update, saw the new number and figured it did the trick.
If you are running WinXP or better (Eg. Linux), then just unplug the ethernet cable, or turn off the wireless, wait a few seconds, and then reconnect. The O/S will pick up the new MTU from the router without a reboot.
Cheers
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#294453 - 02/03/2007 20:06
Re: Processes in Windows
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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In my experience, problems like this are caused by misconfigured routers much further up the internet than "anyone" is likely to have any control over that don't fragment and unfragment properly and/or don't pass ICMP fragmentation required packets.
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