Number 199 - December 1999

Speed Up Slow Web Connections
From: HP AT Home Magazine ... for our home computing users
Make that information superhighway work for you! Here are nine practical steps that will help you speed up your web connection, making your time online more productive. Wait No More     At times your Internet connection slows to a crawl. In some cases, you may not be able to improve matters, but here are nine steps you can try to goose things along:     ONE       Start with a fast connection. If your Internet Service Provider (ISP) supports it and your phone line is compatible, use a 56K modem to speed downloads. (It won't speed up the data that you send, but most people receive at least 10 times as much data as they send.) Also consider Cable, ISDN, or ADSL connections if they're available in your area.     TWO       Consider a new ISP. If you receive lots of busy signals when trying to connect, your ISP may be operating at full capacity. This means that you may be sharing the Web connection with too many other people, and that slows down your connection.     THREE     Watch the Dial-Up Networking icon in the Windows tool tray at the bottom of your screen. The little screens turn green when sending or receiving information. If a page pauses for a long time while loading, choose your browser's Stop button, then Reload. This sometimes forces a new, more efficient path from your ISP to the host computer.     FOUR       If you're downloading a large or popular file, try to find a less-frequented site that offers the same file. If that doesn't help, try to download the file at an off-peak time of day when the traffic may be lighter.     FIVE      If you get an error message that a Web site cannot be found, make sure that you use the correct upper and lower case letters. It can make a difference. Or try it without the www. Some sites don't require it.     SIX       If you still have problems reaching a Web site, try adding a slash (/) at the end of the site name. This may help your browser locate the site. [Not always so. Add the slash after the .com, .net or .org portion but not after subsequent /portions of the address like, for example, /index.html. If an ending slash is there and you don't connect, delete the ending slash and try again. - TOGGLE Ed.]	SEVEN      If step 6 doesn't help, try dropping the end of the address back to the previous slash. For example, if you're trying to find www.acme-data.com/fubar/info.html, try www.acme-data.com/fubar/, and then just www.acme-data.com/.[and navigate to the other "/" addresses from there. - TOGGLE Ed.]     EIGHT      An error message that reads "the server returned extended information" means that the host server has too many other people working with it at that moment. Simply try again; chances are that you'll connect within three or four attempts.     NINE       If you still have problems connecting, try a different browser (if you have another one installed on your system).   Tips 'n Tricks     Connecting Cable TV Service to the Internet     Cable modems are much faster than telephone modems, but you can only use a cable modem if your local cable company provides the service. If they do, the company provides the equipment and installation. Basically, your cable connection is split inside your house and connects to both your TV and a cable modem. The cable guys will also install an internal Ethernet network card to connect your PC to the cable modem.1     The fastest telephone modem receives data at less than 56K bits per second (bps) to your computer, and can only send at most 33.6Kbps. Cable modem rates, however, can range from 27 to 56Mbps to your PC, and 2 to 3Mbps from your PC.     But these rates are theoretical. You won't hit top speed because all cable modem subscribers on the same cable feed share that 27 to 56Mbps data supply, and performance drops as more people connect to the line. Even with the fluctuation, the speeds are significantly faster than 56Kbps modems, plus you don't have to dial in to connect to the Web. Your computer will always be connected, 24 hours a day.     1 Or an external "USB Ethernet adapter/converter", a 3"x2"x1" box, which connects through one of your USB ports. - TOGGLE ed.
Number 199 - December 1999