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Please include your operating system information and approximate age of the machine.

Dear Guru,
I got a tricky question for you. I recently subscribed to an internet
service, which claims to be much faster than the one I have now. After I got the service, and fired up my computer, I can't see any noticible speed diffrence. I was under the understanding my webpages would open up faster, and I could download music and movies faster. My computer is older, and my internet was fast, but not terribly fast. What should I do? Should I go back with my old service? Get a new computer? I am paying more for this service, and I want my internet to go faster.

Fustrated Internet User

Dear Fustrated:

Faster Internet is just an advertising ploy. Internet service nationwide is
upgrading to fiber optic lines, so everyone can get speed up to 1500
Megabits per second (Mbps) if they use cable or DSL. Satellite can get
speeds up to 256 Mbps. The only problem is the average computer can only
handle speed of  100 Mbps so it doesnt matter how fast your service is, your
computer can not use it all.
But, 100 Mbps is still really fast, and you can maximize your internet to
give you a dramatic speed increase. With high speed internet, you should
expect an average webpage to load in under 1 second. A complex webpage to
load in under 3 seconds, and a song to download in under 1 minute.
To get these kinds of speeds, first find out just how fast you are going
now. You can find a good internet speed test online at speakeasy.net it will
tell you your upload and download speeds. It will determine your connection
speed, and your machine speed.
Next, Go to device manager (Ctrl + ALT + Delete) and go to your network tab.
This will tell you how much your internet is being used right now. Average
web surfing will use 5% of the Internet speed, downloads, 15 to 30%,
Internet phone, 55-70%. there are programs and apps which constantly use up
Internet resources such as Instant Messengers, RSS feeds, and program
updaters. When in stasis, they will only use up 1-3% of your internet
connection, however when active, they can slow down your speed. Another
factor is your Anti-virus. If you have an older machine with a newer
anti-virus, you will be using more resources to do the same work. For
instance, it will scan each download and webpage you open before it opens,
so the page will open slower. Another problem is a spyware infection, which
will divert your webpage then move it back. You can fix that with a tune up,
or by resetting your Internet Explorer Browser.
Any or all of these problems can hurt your Internet speed, but if you get it
set up just right, any computer can handle the super speeds advertised.

Happy Computing

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