A
Admiral Halsey
Hi!
How can I tell if a home computer is at fault, or if it's the phone line
(data problem), when the modem can't connect well?
I'm trying to find a way to "health-check" a computer. I'd like a simple
test my parents could do when they suspect their computer is "connecting too
slow". And, I will visit my parents soon - I'll need a plan of action when
I arrive.
About 2 months ago, my parents' computer developed a "slow dial-up
connection". Pages load slowly or not at all, and the modem hangs up
frequently. I've had them try a few things:
Check with other apartments for "slow connections".
Review their 56k throughput (it's about 44k - very good).
Compare IE and Firefox for speed.
Compare their PC programs for similar faults.
Check with their ISP for help.
Try a new ISP.
Other residents do complain about "slow speed" (well it IS dial-up after
all), but I can't tell if it's a "neighborhood-wide" problem (and for 2
months?). Earthlink had them "make a new icon on the desktop" and "fix some
settings". Their new local ISP has offered no advice.
The fault could be any of these:
Old PC, heating up, going bad.
Too many programs at once/ too many TSRs/ too high a resolution.
Intermittent modem/ bad house wiring.
Line noise.
Too many digital/analog switches in the phone company lines.
Bad ISP/ Server.
The PC itself is NOT "running slowly". I don't think the computer is bad at
all. But how can they verify this? By the time they phone me, they
typically have "changed some PC settings" badly (at the request of someone
in Tech Support).
How can I isolate it to computer or data line?
How can I tell if a home computer is at fault, or if it's the phone line
(data problem), when the modem can't connect well?
I'm trying to find a way to "health-check" a computer. I'd like a simple
test my parents could do when they suspect their computer is "connecting too
slow". And, I will visit my parents soon - I'll need a plan of action when
I arrive.
About 2 months ago, my parents' computer developed a "slow dial-up
connection". Pages load slowly or not at all, and the modem hangs up
frequently. I've had them try a few things:
Check with other apartments for "slow connections".
Review their 56k throughput (it's about 44k - very good).
Compare IE and Firefox for speed.
Compare their PC programs for similar faults.
Check with their ISP for help.
Try a new ISP.
Other residents do complain about "slow speed" (well it IS dial-up after
all), but I can't tell if it's a "neighborhood-wide" problem (and for 2
months?). Earthlink had them "make a new icon on the desktop" and "fix some
settings". Their new local ISP has offered no advice.
The fault could be any of these:
Old PC, heating up, going bad.
Too many programs at once/ too many TSRs/ too high a resolution.
Intermittent modem/ bad house wiring.
Line noise.
Too many digital/analog switches in the phone company lines.
Bad ISP/ Server.
The PC itself is NOT "running slowly". I don't think the computer is bad at
all. But how can they verify this? By the time they phone me, they
typically have "changed some PC settings" badly (at the request of someone
in Tech Support).
How can I isolate it to computer or data line?