Windows XP Freeserve Broadband problems

[RyDan]

Hi can anyone help with my internet connection

I have had Broadband for a few months, when i first had it i had a few starting problems but I managed to sort it out. then I had to format my computer, and ever since ive reinstalled everthing my connection has been shit for most of the time.

What the problem is it seem to stop responding, its ok at my homepage (freeserve home page) but when i start surfing over sites, its slow to laod up the pages, and on a broadband connection it shouldnt do that, and as i no from when i first installed it. also if im downloading something it seems to help with the pages loading quicker like it makes it use the connection

If anyone can give me any tips thanks in adcance

ps if u need to no what programs im using or spec of my machine then i'll reply back

RyDan

 

[StuartC]

Hi RyDan
I cannot help but am having similar problems. Some time very fast page access and sometimes very slow. One site is particilarly bad.
www.nwolb.com
I have rung Freeserve Broadband Support. Done a speed test. OK.
They tried to access www.nwolb.com (from their support centre in Middlesborough) and also had extremely slow response. Answer from them was that it was the site at fault. I know this not to be the case As I can access this site normally from another PC which connects via BTOpenworld.
I would be interested to know your results when accessing this site. I could also try your problem sites.
Anyway I am now going back to Freeserve Support.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Stuart

 

[RyDan]

Hi

Thank god someone replyed to my posting

Right I tryed http://www.nwolb.com/

I had a mix amount of results, first time it was slow, second about half the page loaded up fast then then rest was slow. It once loaded up fast but only once. When the page was loading i decided to watch the freeserve broadband manger in the system tray, and when i was look it was only getting very low downstream speeds, and then maybe a high peck once ever often

Do u find the freeserve homepage loads up fast?
Mine does and all the different parts

Also do u find if ur downloading a file it works fast?
mine does( it seem to make the connection send a recive better)
but im not downloading something ever time i go on the internet to make it work better

I dont really have a problem with a certain web site it seem to be any really they just load very slow and then fast some times

If u watch in the bottom left hand corner where it shows u how many file is left to download it might do 5 then stop many be another 5.

(when it used to work properly it would download the files really quick, not like now may in 5 then stop have a think about it and then maybe give me another 5 just to be nice

Also sometime the page doesnt load, and says it cant find it, when i no that the page it working(when typeing this tryed radio1 web site couldnt find it ?)

Well im not sure what else i can tell u but i wish it would work properly like it used to.

Hope to hear someone ideas from u off freeserve. (tryed ring them a few times when i first had it couldnt get throught, on the phone for 40 min +, gave up in the end

One website u can go to is http://www.adslguide.org.uk/ its really good 4 braodband things, u can test ur speed on it mine is

Downstream 454 Kbps (56.8 KB/sec) 490 Kbps (inc. overheads)
Upstream 239 Kbps (29.9 KB/sec) 258 Kbps (inc. overheads

Try urs and we conpare
as u can c there nothin wrong with my speed it just doesnt want to use it to it full limits

i'll shut u now

Hope to hear from u soon

RyDan

 

[StuartC]

Hi
1) Yes Freeserve homepage always loads fast.
2) I get the same as you when pages are very slow loading, i.e. Page cannot be displayed.
3) I spoke to Freeserve Broadband, again at length, last night.
I redid the speed tests (the ones that you referred to) and again got good results:

Downstream 448 Kbps
Upstream 244 Kbps.

What the Helpdesk finally suggested was that I contact BT (154) and go to fault reporting. Then to request a GAIN INCREASE on my line. This somehow allocates more bandwidth to the Broadband connection. I spoke to BT at 15:30 today and thay have requested the Gain Increase. The guy I spoke to had done this for his line after similar problems and everything was now fine. It should be done today some time so I will know later or tomorrow.
Will let you know
StuartC

 

[StuartC]

Hi
Update
Just had a call from BT who were checking my line and have found an' outside underground fault' in my area which is affecting my line. They do not expect this to be fixed before thursday. When fixed they will do the GAIN INCREASE.
So I am keeping my fingers crossed.
StuartC

 

[RyDan]

I will do the same and see what happens. Ill ring wednesday morning.

Also i did have a my line gain increase a few years ago when i was on a normal modem, as i had speed problems with 56k modems.

do u thing that they undone it or something like that, plus will they do another one?

I'll let u no what happens

RyDan

 

[StuartC]

Well nothing has changed. Still crap!
I have been back to Freeserve technical support and tried TCPIP changes as advised by DRTCP.
No good.
Told Freeserve that I wished to cancel my agreement. Lo and behold they said that my contract is for a year so I could not cancel.
Oh yes I will. I have the Freeserve address in Middlesborough and will write to them outlining this whole sorry saga.
So that is my lot with Freeserve.
BT Broadband is my next try.
Good luck

 

[RyDan]

No

Hi sorry 2 here the changes didnt work, i havent had chace to ring BT up 2 ask them to turn my line gain higher. The last couple of days my connection has been ok or should i say better than it has been, the only thing ive changed is ive install Norton firewall 2003, it hasnt proberly done anything apart from it making it use my connection, which is a good thing, but i shouldnt have to do that.

Good luck trying to cancel ur freeserve broadband, I think u will be able to cancel it but u will have to still pay for it, untill the 12 months r up. One tip i can give u is u maybe able to switch ur payments to BT Broadband (which u said u r going to try) if u ask them nicely. Thats what ive heard but i maybe wrong, but its worth a try.

If u get BT Broadband or any other supplier, would u mind emailing me and tell me what they r like, so when my 12 months is up I might change. Also if u here how 2 fix our problem to

Nice talking 2 u hope 2 here from u sometime

RyDan

 

[StuartC]

Hi Ryan. I have persevered trying to sort this out. Have a look at this and see iftit helps. Certainly works for me.
StuartC

A recent EMail to Technical (??????) Support. Anyone have similar experience?
*********************************************************************************************
I wrote to Freeserve Customer Services about a problem I first reported to Technical Support about 3 months ago. They replied, 27th October stating that someone from Technical Support would call me directly.
I am still waiting.
In the meantime I have done lots of investigation, including changing TCPIP settings and pointing to different DNS Servers. No change.
The problem.
Slow Web Page downlaods. Using a site I regularly access I get the following info from Broadband Connection Manager:
Approximately 1 minute to load the page with lots of gaps between the blocks of 'green' below the line download payload stats.
I have found the following.
If I run 4 consecutive continuous PINGS (two to each) to the first two IP Address Hops from my PC. These are in the 62.25.200 range then my web page download speed dramatically improves as follows:
Using the same site as before:
Approx 7 secs to download the page AND just one block of green download payload data.
The two IP addresses are for kit managed by Energis, part of the Freeserve Netwotk, I believe.
So how can this dramatic improvement be explained?
As follows according to an Internet techie:

***********************************************************************************
You've discovered a little known bit of TCP/IP and router interaction
- it's all to do with "best effort" on the part of Cisco kit and is
partly the reason why Denial of Service ping attacks are rather
effective.

In a nutshell - the more IP traffic you bung at a server the more the
intervening routers will try and help you - browsers typically run
asyncronously so unless you have Moz or Opera you can't play too much
there - however - using another protocol - eg ping - raises your
priority a bit.
************************************************************************************
So there you have all the info I have gathered.
What I want from Techical Support is a recommendation as to how I can have the 'PING SPEED' of web pages WITHOUT having to use PINGS. Is there a bottleneck in your network?
I would imagine that if all your users did the same as me then the network would grind to a halt! I have not yet done speed tests whilst having more than 4 continuous PINGS running but from the above who knows?
So where is the problem?

 

[RyDan]

?

Well ive read what u have posted a couple of times now but , i cant really understand, what to do !

Well i understand what ive read but there seems to be no answer to fix the problem.

If u could post back and try and explain it to me

Also when i pm u before about updating ur 4 - 1 drivers, it did seem to work at first but when i turned off my computer and turned it back on it was the same again.

RyDan

 

[StuartC]

OK RyDan.
This is a workaround for me but it works. I am still trying to find the cause of the problem.
1) Do a Trace Route to a web site - lets say www.freeserve.com.
Do you know how to trace route?
2) note the IP addresses of the first 2 hops.
3) start 4 continuous PINGS, two each to the listed IP addresses.
Do you know how to do continuous PINGS?
When you have the PINGS running then try and access 'slow web sites'.
Is the access now faster than before?

 

[Quadophile]

I have read the entire thread. I am impressed with the stamina that you two have for posting back and forth with your problems and trying to find a solution. Bravo to both of you. You have no idea how helpful this thread can be to all those who use the same connection.

I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that both of you find a solution and end up with a lightning fast connection.

Cheers!

 

[StuartC]

Thanks Quadophile. I am definitely not giving up on this. FREESERVE have still not had the good grace to contact me by phone or EMAIL.
My next day off - this week I hope - will start with a rather explosive phone call fom me to them.

 

[Quadophile]

DIPLOMACY - the key word my friend. Use it, you will be surprised by the results.

Just my 2 pennies in the most sincere way!

 

[RyDan]

Sorry i dont no what a trace route is so u will have to tell me it in laymo terms

 

[StuartC]

Open a DOS Command Prompt window.
then key in tracert www.teletext.co.uk
Hit enter
At the end of the first 2 lines, in brackets, will be 2 IP addresses. Something like 62.25.204.138.
Take a note of these 2 IP addresses.
Close the DOS Command Prompt window.
Now for the continuous PINGS.
Open DOS Command Prompt window.
Key in ping -t 62.25.204.138 (or whatever your 1st IP address is).
Open 2 more DOS Command Prompt windows and repeat the ping you have already done.
So you will now have 3 continuous pings running for your 1st IP address.
Now open 3 more DOS Command Prompt windows and in each one key in ping -t 62.25.204.130 (or whatever your 2nd IP address is).
You will now have 6 continuous pings running.

Now access your slow web pages on the Internet.
Hopefully there will be a massive improvement in download speed.
Good luck. Let me know the result. Any problems let me know.
Regards StuartC

 

[RyDan]

Hi

Im using windows xp

There is no dos command prompt window

any ideas

 

[StuartC]

I use XP. Look in programs or accessories. Can't tell you exactly as I have dragged this to the Desktop

 

[muckshifter]

RyDan

StuartC is correct ...

Start/All Programs/Accessories/Dos prompt

or

Start/Run and type in cmd

Don’t forget to type exit when finished and it will close the box.


Good luck Gents.

 

[StuartC]

RyDan
I have just automated the continuous PINGs such that they all start at STARTUP.
Excellent result. Will let you know how if you want. How are you getting on with the tests?