Windows XP and NTL dial-up

[besty]

Up until recently I was using an old Windows 98 desktop, which had all sorts of problems and was v. slow. The only thing it did well was browse the internet (using NTL dial-up).

I now have a brand new shiny Windows XP laptop, which does everything well EXCEPT browse the internet. It is still using the NTL dial-up.

The connection speed is rarely above 37.2 kbps, although the performance is much worse than this. I would say it takes an average of 60 seconds to display my google home page. Pages are often not displayed because they time out.

I have installed firewalls and spyware detecters and updated anti-virus stuff so it is nothing to do with any of that.

I still have my old desktop, and the internet always works fine on that.

Has anyone else experienced similar?

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by besty

Up until recently I was using an old Windows 98 desktop, which had all sorts of problems and was v. slow. The only thing it did well was browse the internet (using NTL dial-up).

I now have a brand new shiny Windows XP laptop, which does everything well EXCEPT browse the internet. It is still using the NTL dial-up.

The connection speed is rarely above 37.2 kbps, although the performance is much worse than this. I would say it takes an average of 60 seconds to display my google home page. Pages are often not displayed because they time out.

I have installed firewalls and spyware detecters and updated anti-virus stuff so it is nothing to do with any of that.

I still have my old desktop, and the internet always works fine on that.

Has anyone else experienced similar?

Do you have the same problems with your firewall, AV etc off. Not a permanent solution, but it could be one of those apps intererring.

Is the modem using a generic XP driver or one specific for the card.

Is the PC optimised for dial up browsing (MTU size etc) as I think XP comes optimised for BB. Changing the modem driver should help.

Is it just browsing, or do you have more problems with mail / ftp if you use that than before?

Oh and to NTHW - I'm sure we can help you get to the bottom of this.

[besty]

Originally Posted by SMHarman

Do you have the same problems with your firewall, AV etc off. Not a permanent solution, but it could be one of those apps intererring.

Is the modem using a generic XP driver or one specific for the card.

Is the PC optimised for dial up browsing (MTU size etc) as I think XP comes optimised for BB. Changing the modem driver should help.

Is it just browsing, or do you have more problems with mail / ftp if you use that than before?

Oh and to NTHW - I'm sure we can help you get to the bottom of this.

Modem is an internal one so I just assumed the correct driver was being use. Never heard of optimising for dial-up browsing, but I shall look it up and give it a go. Mail is just as bad, and I haven't yet used ftp but would assume it is the same.

As it is at home and I am at work, I will not be able to try anything until this evening, but thanks for the input.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by besty

Modem is an internal one so I just assumed the correct driver was being use. Never heard of optimising for dial-up browsing, but I shall look it up and give it a go. Mail is just as bad, and I haven't yet used ftp but would assume it is the same.

As it is at home and I am at work, I will not be able to try anything until this evening, but thanks for the input.

Thats indicative that the problem is the dial up segment of the connection, not the Domain Servers for browsing, or the mail servers (though with NTL both could be dubious).

Also is the cable used to connect to the phone socket the same in both instances, that could be faulty.

[besty]

Didn't get chance to try anything last night (went to LOTR-3 which took up the whole evening.


Will try tonight.

[dirtydog]

I don't know if dial-up connection speeds vary in different parts of the country, but here in Colchester I get between 50.2-53.2kbps with an internal (software) modem and Win XP.

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by dirtydog

I don't know if dial-up connection speeds vary in different parts of the country, but here in Colchester I get between 50.2-53.2kbps with an internal (software) modem and Win XP.

If there's a dodgy connection somewhere on the line, even between your PC and the wall, then it can reduce your connection speed.

Besty, see if you can use the laptop plugged into a different socket in the house.
Also see if you can use it with the PC's modem lead (ie the lead from the modem to the telephone socket)

[SMHarman]

Modem dial up is now traffic managed through the digital phone exchanges and directed to a Regionally Organised Modem Pool (or ROMP). As opposed to the bad ol days when dial up needed local numbers around the country. The main spead problems are nowdays likely to be in the last mile (or 10) of copper / alu to your house and your own cables and connections.

[besty]

Just got back from a work trip so have been unable to try much with my xp laptop. Have tried again this evening, and it runs so slow i couldn't even open this page, just got page not found errors. Google loaded, but only on a second attempt, and then took 15 seconds or so. Have resorted to using my old desktop which is missing the point.

Have tried using same cable as desktop but still the same problem. I have also got a freeview box which allows me to access the internet, and that runs at normal speed, so it must something specific to the laptop / XP - laptop runs through the internet connection at work with no problem, so it does not have an inherent browsing problem

Any suggestions would be welcome.

[BigBadJimmy]

I don't know if it's the same issue, but I've been having similar problems:

I also use NTL Dial-up on Win XP, with an internal modem.
We had some major problems with our NTL phone line recently which resulted in them rewiring the whole house, so it's definitely not the phone line which is at fault.
My connection speed can vary between 35kbps and 49.2kbps (this is the fastest I've ever experienced), and in the last week I keep having to reconnect as the connection will just stop working - it looks as is it's still connected but the browser will not connect to ANY sites and Outlook isn't able to check email.

I run various spy-detector, registry cleaner, defragmenting, firewall, and virus programs - anyone know how I can improve the connection speed?!

[Stuartbe]

Originally Posted by BigBadJimmy

I don't know if it's the same issue, but I've been having similar problems:

I also use NTL Dial-up on Win XP, with an internal modem.
We had some major problems with our NTL phone line recently which resulted in them rewiring the whole house, so it's definitely not the phone line which is at fault.
My connection speed can vary between 35kbps and 49.2kbps (this is the fastest I've ever experienced), and in the last week I keep having to reconnect as the connection will just stop working - it looks as is it's still connected but the browser will not connect to ANY sites and Outlook isn't able to check email.

I run various spy-detector, registry cleaner, defragmenting, firewall, and virus programs - anyone know how I can improve the connection speed?!

Hi BigBadJimmy and a great big to our comunity...

49.2kbps is not to shabby for a dial up... 56k is not actualy a speed its a compresion system....

How long are you able to browse before the connection goes dead... I ask as NTL disconnect dial up users after 2 hours online...

[BigBadJimmy]

Originally Posted by stuartbe

Hi BigBadJimmy and a great big to our comunity...

49.2kbps is not to shabby for a dial up... 56k is not actualy a speed its a compresion system....

How long are you able to browse before the connection goes dead... I ask as NTL disconnect dial up users after 2 hours online...

Yes, I'm aware of the 2 hour disconnection thing, but my problem occurs kind of randomly. The modem won't actually disconnect - my computer still thinks I'm connected to NTLWorld, I just can't call up any websites, or check email, etc. This can happen as soon as my session starts, or sometimes, after a seemingly random period of time, when the connection has been working fine up until then.
Since NTL rewired our phone line, I was getting 49.2kbps connections everytime, but in the last week or two, it has been slower, like 42-44. I know it's not a great difference, but when your modem is 56k, you need all the help you can get!

[fazer]

It might be down to the fact you are using different modems. Until recently, I have always used the V90 softmodem that originally came with my computer and always (almost without exception) got a 48Kbps connection to ntl freedom.

Then I installed Linux on my second drive and found it didn't like the softmodem, so I dug out an old US Robotics 56k external and used that. Surprisingly, connections dropped to around 35Kbps. So much for all those people who pooh-pooh Winmodems as "not proper modems - they can't be any good!".

Then I flashed the USR to V92 in the hope of raising the connection speed. This partly worked; it now varied wildly between 35K and 49K - never the same speed twice in a row (although at least, the handshake was quicker!).

Just goes to show what a difference the modem makes, though - everyhing else was the same: computer, line and ISP. It didn't seem to make any difference whether I was using XP or Linux with the USR modem.

I've now put the Winmodem back in and use that with XP and just use the USR with Linux.

Cheers,

[besty]

Still not having any luck.

Have tried NTL help a few more times, but they can only suggest the banal (have i enough hard disk space for example).

I have managed once to connect at a decent speed - after I did a minimum start up running loading nothing at all on boot up - this only worked once though and next time was just as bad.

Any ideas appreciated.

[Stuartbe]

Originally Posted by besty

Still not having any luck.

Have tried NTL help a few more times, but they can only suggest the banal (have i enough hard disk space for example).

I have managed once to connect at a decent speed - after I did a minimum start up running loading nothing at all on boot up - this only worked once though and next time was just as bad.

Any ideas appreciated.

Have you unbound all uneeded protocols from the dial up adaptor ? You should only have tcp/ip bound !

Is software compresion enabled for the modem..

NB - you need to run the speed tests online as the connect speed indicator on the taskbar is very unreleable !