Two utilities, ping and traceroute, can eliminate 75 to 85
percent of all calls to an ISP's tech support line.
Ping is a utility that sends a packet (short message) to the
computer you're trying to connect with. The second computer will
then send a confirmation packet back to your computer, along
with the amount of time that it took for the packet to travel
round-trip. This is useful for finding out if the machine
you're trying to connect with is actually up and running.
Use the traceroute utility in Windows-based systems to trace the
particular hops your data takes from one computer to another.
It will list a user, computer name, or IP address for each
machine the packets pass through as they head to their
destination computer. Run traceroute by selecting Start, then
Run. Type tracert followed by the domain name. An example is
tracert www.techtv.com. Why is this so useful? Most people
blame their ISP when, for example, they can't access their
Yahoo! account. But it's most likely an issue with a hop in
between. In other words, there's a problem with a router,
switch, or computer somewhere along the path.
Both of these commands are used on the command line. However,
there are freeware and shareware alternatives with graphical
user interfaces such as
NeoTrace Pro. This utility combines ping, traceroute, and
whois (an Internet utility that returns information about a
domain name or IP address). It allows you to trace where your
packets travel according to mapped out, geographic locations. It
shows you where your packets hop on a map of the world.
Check for line noise
A noisy line could be the reason you're only getting a 19200
connection, instead of a 26400 connection. One of the easiest
ways to check for line noise is to pick up the headset on your
phone and listen for any noise. If you hear static on the line,
you should immediately contact your local telephone company. It
is its responsibility to make sure your line is within an
acceptable noise range. Of course, because it owns the lines,
it can also decide what amount of static is acceptable.
Avoid slow-downs in your system
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Pieces of data scatter across your hard drive, fragmenting
over time. Your processor will continue to run fast if you
defrag your hard drive on a regular basis. Use a commercial
disk defragmenter such as Microsoft's Disk Defragmenter,
found in your System Tools area, or Norton's Speed Disk. Disk
Defragmenter moves pieces of data together, removing the
spaces between them.
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Run ScanDisk at least once a month. ScanDisk is a program in
your System Tools menu that runs exhaustive checks on your
important files, directories, and file system to maintain your
computer speed. It will fix problems automatically. If you're
doing a lot of deleting or moving a lot of files, run Scandisk
more often.
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Periodically clean out your browser's cache.
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In Internet Explorer, choose Tools and Internet Options.
Under the General tab, click Delete Files in the Temporary
Internet files section. |
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In Netscape, click Edit and Preferences. Choose Cache under
the Advanced menu item and clear your cache. |
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