Newsgroup access problem

[-keevill-]

I am having a problem with my ISP and accessing newsgroups. I have been
using the inbuilt newsreader in Vista and also Newsrover for a long time
with no problems but recently I notice that whilst I can login to the NG and
start to download from the server, it has become very slow and times out
after a few messages have been downloaded.
However, if I take my computer to another location with a different ISP,
then everything works again properly.
Therefore I am assuming that my ISP has started some sort of blocking or
throttling.
Could they have changed some setting requiring me to change something
perhaps MTU or ?
It's not just binary stuff giving problems, even accessing this NG has had
to be done from a different location using the ISP of a friend.
Like I say, it's not like they have totally blocked access just made it too
slow to work with.
Apart from using web based access to the groups ( which won't work for
binaries in my case ) how can I get around this ? Can I use another port or
something like that to trick my ISP?
Sadly changing my ISP is not an option .

 

[Snidley W.]

I am having a problem with my ISP and accessing newsgroups. I have been
using the inbuilt newsreader in Vista and also Newsrover for a long time
with no problems but recently I notice that whilst I can login to the NG and
start to download from the server, it has become very slow and times out
after a few messages have been downloaded.
However, if I take my computer to another location with a different ISP,
then everything works again properly.
Therefore I am assuming that my ISP has started some sort of blocking or
throttling.
Could they have changed some setting requiring me to change something
perhaps MTU or ?

When you called their support desk, what did they tell you?

It's not just binary stuff giving problems, even accessing this NG has had
to be done from a different location using the ISP of a friend.
Like I say, it's not like they have totally blocked access just made it too
slow to work with.
Apart from using web based access to the groups ( which won't work for
binaries in my case ) how can I get around this ? Can I use another port or
something like that to trick my ISP?
Sadly changing my ISP is not an option .

Why do you feel you need to "trick" them? Do you have some inside
knowledge that your account is definitely being "throttled" and are
trying to find a work around?

 

[-keevill-]

When you called their support desk, what did they tell you?

'What are newsgroups? - we don't have any'

Why do you feel you need to "trick" them? Do you have some inside
knowledge that your account is definitely being "throttled" and are
trying to find a work around?

My question was hoping to elicit some response from someone who 'may' have
some idea of what is happening and who can suggest some course of action.

 

[Tim Slattery]

Apart from using web based access to the groups ( which won't work for
binaries in my case ) how can I get around this ? Can I use another port or
something like that to trick my ISP?

For accessing the microsoft.public.* newsgroups, you can point your
newsreader at msnews.microsoft.com. For other groups, there are a
number of outfits that provide newsgroup access for a fee. One such
(just as a f'rinstance, I haven't used their service so can offer no
opinion on it) is Forte, Inc., the makers of the Agent newsreader.
Their offer can be found at http://www.forteinc.com/apn/index.php