SP3 and DSL

[Gary S. Terhune]

Just checking to see what problems, if anything, people using DSL might be
having. I don't have any, but a client across town does. She should be
getting close to 3Gbps and is only getting maybe 400 to 100 Mbps. Instead of
300 KB/s downloads, she's getting anything from under 10 up to 50.

While I'm still working on t-shooting the problem (need to get a laptop over
there to test with, check wiring, etc.), but the timing of the issue
coincides more or less with when SP3 was installed and I've heard of a lot
of complaints around town over the last few months about speeds.

So, any helpful hints, any anecdotes, any links that discuss the issue would
be greatly appreciated. Once I've done all the equipment swapping I can
manage, if it still remains, I'll go to SP3 support, but I thought I'd ask
here first.

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Gary S. Terhune" <none>

| Just checking to see what problems, if anything, people using DSL might be
| having. I don't have any, but a client across town does. She should be
| getting close to 3Gbps and is only getting maybe 400 to 100 Mbps. Instead of
| 300 KB/s downloads, she's getting anything from under 10 up to 50.

| While I'm still working on t-shooting the problem (need to get a laptop over
| there to test with, check wiring, etc.), but the timing of the issue
| coincides more or less with when SP3 was installed and I've heard of a lot
| of complaints around town over the last few months about speeds.

| So, any helpful hints, any anecdotes, any links that discuss the issue would
| be greatly appreciated. Once I've done all the equipment swapping I can
| manage, if it still remains, I'll go to SP3 support, but I thought I'd ask
| here first.

| --
| Gary S. Terhune
| MS-MVP Shell/User
| http://grystmill.com



DSL can't provide 3Gb/s.

At best VDSL provides ~100Mb/s.

I think you are mixing up nomenclatures.

I am on Verizon DSL with XP SP3 with 3Mb/s and have no problems.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

The box's MTU settings just might need to be tweaked, Gary.
http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks can be useful in these situations.

Also see the section "If You Connect by DSL, Cable Modem, or LAN on Windows
XP" here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315008 (ignore the title)

You might also try reinstalling the router and/or modem.

Or she might be seeing excessive demand on the DSL node (typically seen at
busier times of the day; e.g., late afternoon through midnight when "the
d*** kids" in the neighborhood are downloading stuff <eg>).

Here are some related KBs though most prolly don't apply in this situation:

An ADSL router may restart occasionally after you install Windows XP SP3 or
Windows Vista:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/955084

Device Manager may not show any devices and Network Connections may not show
any network connections after you install Windows XP Service Pack 3
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953979

A Windows XP SP3-based computer loses wireless connectivity when it resumes
from standby or from hibernation, or you receive an error message when you
try to put the computer in standby or in hibernation:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951447

Windows XP SP3-based client computers cannot access the network when some
DHCP information is unavailable
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953761

 

[iPC]

Added SP3 to two desktops this weekend. No 6Mbps DSL/wifi issues. Seems SP3
manages memory better. Menus and windows pop. Some WMP visualizations now
work that didn't before on nVidia. Cool so far.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Doh... Yup, I meant 3 Mbps.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Thanks MUCH for the links. I'm getting tired and the Googling was getting to
me. Yeah, while I'll have one more discussion with the local telco provider
in which he assures me that line quality and distance aren't involved, and
all the rest of the testing I mentioned, plus others I've thought of since
then, I'll also run through your reading material and see what I can make
happen.

OT, and this is for you, too, Curt: The year of treatment was finished on
Sunday, the tests are negative (that's good), and according to the docs, the
current results have a very good chance of being permanent. We'll know in
six months.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Thanks for the feedback. Actually, this is the first one I've seen like this
and I don't know that the rest of town isn't just bitchin' & moanin' about
ATT (which for the moment has a near total monopoly.) Like I said, when I
did some actual measurements I was quite surprised by the results just
bumping 300KB/s. Of course, that was at 3am and this *is* a small town in
the middle of nowhere.

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Gary S. Terhune" <none>

| Thanks for the feedback. Actually, this is the first one I've seen like this
| and I don't know that the rest of town isn't just bitchin' & moanin' about
| ATT (which for the moment has a near total monopoly.) Like I said, when I
| did some actual measurements I was quite surprised by the results just
| bumping 300KB/s. Of course, that was at 3am and this *is* a small town in
| the middle of nowhere.

| --
| Gary S. Terhune
| MS-MVP Shell/User
| http://grystmill.com

How far is the subscriber from the CO ?

 

[D. Kirkpatrick]

Thanks MUCH for the links. I'm getting tired and the Googling was getting to
me. Yeah, while I'll have one more discussion with the local telco provider
in which he assures me that line quality and distance aren't involved, and
all the rest of the testing I mentioned, plus others I've thought of since
then, I'll also run through your reading material and see what I can make
happen.

A bad connection can manifest as good to the remote telco support
people.

The first thing they tell people to do is reboot everything and then
they run a line test from there end and all will show OK.

However if the line quality is bad (numerous splices, corrosion, etc.)
the modem will retrain (adjust itself) to a lower speed if it is
straining to maintain a carrier at reboot - usually a few minutes
later. It will continue to retrain down to a level where it can
maintain a carrier efficiently without straining.

So to the telco all is well but after a few minutes or even as much as
an hour, things are bad again. In some instances a modem may retrain
to zero or darn close.

Sometimes in-house line filters can also go bad and the only way to
test for that is process of elimination.

I had a similar issue and after each service check all was well for a
while then would manifest again.

Eventually we did a home run (direct connect from the NID to computer
modem), replaced the lines to the pole from the NID, and isolated and
connected to a fresh twisted pair back to the next junction box
several blocks away. Haven't had any problems since.

I'm close to the max physical loop length for DSL and I now pull about
2.87 MB on a line aportioned for 3.0 MB down speed. In my case this
is actually good.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

*EXCELLENT*!

Gary S. Terhune wrote:

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

I have a trouble ticket started with ATT, and that is the number one
question I have for them. But this doesn't act like a simple, normal DSL
issue. It used to get decent enough speeds. Either something is screwed up
in the hardware anywhere between way up the line and modem, the wiring or
the XP configuration, and I just need to track down all the possibilities
and check them out, one by one.

Getting ready to call ATT now, about a number of different things. I expect
to spend all day on the phone. Wish me luck,<g>.