How to Speed up a Slow Internet Connection

A slow internet connection can be very annoying when you are trying to do something on the internet. Here are some steps you can take to fix or improve your connection.

Steps

1. Identify what speed you are supposed to be provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This is important, because your slow connection could be due to a problem on their end, not yours. This should be on your bill. If you don't have a bill handy, you can check the ISP's website or contact them directly to find out.
   
2. Conduct a speed test online. This should get you results close to what your ISP is supposed to provide. If you get a low result, try another computer on your network first. If both get a low result, contact your ISP. If only yours has a problem, the problem lies with the computer.
   
3. Eliminate needless programs. Your internet connection requires memory to be able to be at the speed your are paying for. If your computer is bogged down by programs you don't need, your connection will go slower. Close programs you aren't using.
   
4. Do a virus and spyware scan. Viruses and spyware also use up memory which can contribute to a connection appearing slow. Run a thorough or complete scan of each even if you have it on and scanning. These will catch additional items. See below if you need either of these programs for free virus and spyware scanning programs.
   
5. Consider a different browser. Most people use Internet Explorer, which while a decent browser, does also use a lot of resources. Many websites also have elements to them that use more memory. Firefox has many extensions that allow for the ability to block elements such as javascript, ads, flash and other things until you enable them. Google Chrome, while new, uses very little memory and can also be good for sites that have a lot of javascript and flash.
   
6. Check your firewall. Make sure you don't have more than one firewall running. If you do, uninstall the second, you don't need it.
   
7. Check your free space. If your hard drive is nearly full, take files you don't use often and either burn them to CD or DVD or delete them. Your computer uses free hard drive space as virtual memory, so a full hard drive will slow down your computer and your connection.
   
8. Run a disk defrag. This should be done once every two weeks. It will improve your overall performance which can only help your internet connection.
   
9. Consider a computer upgrade. An older computer may not have the power to make use of many things on the internet now. Even something as simple as an upgrade to the RAM could help, but if your computer is more than five years old, it may be time to consider getting a newer model.
   

Tips

• An additional scan for viruses and spyware in safe mode will help ensure everything is eliminated.
  
• You can have more than one spyware scanner as long as the additional ones do not run in real time. In fact most would recommend more than one since no program seems to catch all spyware.
  
• Even if your virus scanner provides spyware scanning, you should still have a seperate spyware scanning program.
  
• Keep your virus and spyware scans up to date! Out of date definitions do no good and new things can be added almost daily. Always update before running a scan and when downloading a new program.
  

Warnings

• Be careful when closing off programs. Some programs are required for the running of other programs. If you aren't sure, search the name in google to find out what it is or seek expert advice.
  
• Do not try to download any "speed boosters" for your connection. Most of these do not work and if anything may even slow down your connection more. The same goes for memory management software.
  
• Do not run more than one virus scan at a time. Multiple virus scanning programs will merely interfere with each other and cause viruses to slip by. If you want a second opinion, try an online scan from something like TrendMicro's HouseCall
  
• Be wary of supposed spyware cleaners and other programs that boast to improve performance. Many of these do not work and could well contain spyware or impede performance. Always do research on a program before downloading it. Check a reputable website for reviews from other users
  
• You should conduct the online bandwidth tests for a couple days in a row, and at different times, as their bandwidth, or your bandwidth could have been tied up. From there, find your "average" connection speed, and work from that.
  
• If you have a spyware infected computer, changing browsers will not solve your problem.
  

Things You'll Need

• Online Speed Test
  
• A spyware scanning program such as Spybot Search and Destroy or Ad-aware
  

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How to Fix a Slow Computer Five Simple Tips

Frustrated with a [slow running computer][1]. Well, who doesn't? In today's fast-paced world, practically everything is done at lightning speeds, thanks to efficient and multitasking machines such as computers. But after many years of frequent use, your computer will start to slow down.
Running programs, accessing files, and saving documents will become painfully time-consuming. Unless you take precautions, your PC is liable to stop operating, necessitating frequent restarts.
All these problems will make you frustrated, and in addition, you will also have to spend money and time to fix your computer. Fortunately, you can speed up the performance of your computer in a number of ways.

Steps

1. Get rid of viruses and spyware. If your computer is running slow, the culprit could be a virus or spyware! That's why the importance of anti-virus and [anti-spyware programs][2] can never be underestimated. Failure to install them exposes your computer to numerous performance problems. Run these software programs regularly so that viruses and spyware can be immediately detected and removed from your system. Also, make sure that these programs are always up to date so that your computer is protected from the latest versions of viruses and spyware.
2. Clean the registry. Computer start up and shutdown processes become sluggish if the registry becomes corrupted. To make your computer run faster, its registry needs to be kept clean using [registry cleaners][3] that can be downloaded from the Internet.
3. Defragment your computer. In order to make a tremendous improvement in the speed of your computer, periodic defragmentation of the hard drive is recommended. This will fix performance malfunctions, which are often the result of fragmentation in the operating system. Start the process by running the Disk Defragmenter program, which is usually reached through the Start menu.
4. Free up the space of the main drive. The main drive, also called the C drive, stores all the programs essential to your computers operation such as the operating system. Your computer will slow down if you store too many files on the main drive. A great way to speed up your computer is to free up some space in the main drive. Transfer games and other software programs from the main drive to another drive in the computer. Storing your videos or music files in the C drive is a bad idea as well.
5. Remove temporary files from your computer. Every time you use your computer, it stores temporary files in your hard drive. As your hard drive becomes clogged with numerous temporary files, your PC will lose it's quickness. So get rid of these files using the Disk Cleanup program that can be accessed at the Start menu.
6. If you follow the above steps it should help to [speed up your computer][4].

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How to Speed up Your Computer (Windows Xp or Vista)

Are you tired of a slow and groggy computer? Then this is the guide for you!

Steps

1. Viruses are one of the many factors that can make your computer considerably slower. The first thing you should do is to check if your computer has any viruses. You can do this by using an anti virus program. If you already have one, great, but for those who don’t, you should get a free version of AVG. Link: http://free.avg.com/ This program will walk you through the process of getting rid of those pesky viruses.
   
2. A strange thing about computers is that, as you add more and more software to your hard drive, the data is scattered all over your hard drive. This can cause potential problems, as your computer may have to look in several places rather than one to launch a program. Defragmenting your hard drive will rearrange your hard drive so that it is easier for your computer to find certain things. Luckily for you, your computer should already come with a defragmenter program. Click start, then programs, then accessories, then system tools, and then finally launch the program entitled, Disk Defragmenter. All you have to do when the program has opened is click defragment.
   
3. The next thing you should do is to stop any of the things that run in the background of your computer that you don’t need. Do this by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete at the same time. This then brings up the list of processes that are running at the moment. You can also use a program called ProcessScanner. Just follow the steps there and your good to go.
   
4. Another thing you can is get more RAM. If you run a lot of programs at the same time, then it eats up more RAM. You can figure out how much RAM you have by clicking Start, then Control Panel, then System. Then you will have to look at how much slots your motherboard has available.
   
5. Another thing you can do to speed up your computer is to free up some space. One way to do this is to run Disk Cleanup, and luckily for you, it already comes preinstalled on your PC. Click Start, select All Programs, click Accessories, then select System Tools, and finally click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
   
6. Another way to optimize the performance of your computer is to utilize the error checking utility. To do this, first click Start, then My Computer. Next, you will have to right-click the hard drive you will want to scan and select Properties. When the Properties window opens, select the Tools tab and click the Check Now button. In the Check Disk window, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors box, and finally click Start.
   
7. There are many programs that run during start up that slow your computer down. A quick way to see these programs and eliminate them is to click Start, then Run, and then type in MSCONFIG. That should get you started
   
8. Another thing you can do to speed up your computer is to upgrade the video card.
   
9. Another thing you can do is to back up all your data on to an external hard drive and reinstall Windows completely.
   
10. The last thing you can do is to upgrade your hard drive.
    

Things You'll Need

• A computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista and access to the internet.
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Speed up Your Computer (Windows Xp or Vista). All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.