I have satellite Internet, which isn’t the fastest broadband on the planet, anyway, but I’ve had all sorts of problems with Internet Explorer. If I open several tabs in Internet Explorer, eventually, I start getting tabs on which the pages don’t load. I also get some very quirky behavior when I try to author blog posts in WordPress; for example, I can’t use the mouse to move the insertion point, I have to use the arrow keys.

I tried Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Google Chrome, and based on my experience, Chrome is the winner, by a long shot. So if you’re having speed issues or are experiencing problems with Internet Explorer, give Chrome a try: Download Google Chrome.

Recently when my satellite Internet connection slowed to a crawl, I assumed it had something to do with the satellite. I called Wildblue. The technician ran a check, informed me that the signal was weak, and advised me to check for snow or ice on the dish. The dish was clear, so the technician assumed the dish fell out of alignment for some reason. This was Friday. We scheduled a service call for Monday.

Over the weekend, I did some heavy-duty maintenance on my computer. I uninstalled programs I no longer use, deleted a bunch of files I no longer needed, and disabled some programs that were running in the background. Instantly, my Internet connection speed rose from about 200kbps to 950kbps – where it should be. I called and canceled the service call saving me fifty bucks.

The moral of the story – don’t assume a slow Internet connection is due to your ISP. It could be something as simple as an errant program running in the background.

First, test your connection speed. A couple good tools to test your Internet connection speed are CNet’s Broadband Speed Meter and Toast’s Internet Speed Test.

If your Internet connection is slower than it should be, here are some things to check:

• Router: If your modem plugs into a router which plugs into your computer, try bypassing the router by connecting the modem directly to one of your computers. If your connection is as fast as it should be, you just narrowed the problem down to the router.
• Background programs: Unbeknownst to you, your computer may be running programs on startup that consume system resources, including Internet bandwidth. Try disabling startup programs you don’t use or can’t recognize as performing any useful task. See “Disabling Background Programs in Windows,” later in this post for details.
• Firewall: A firewall designed to protect your computer from Internet intruders can gum up the works. Running too many firewalls can also be a problem. Check Windows Firewall (Start, Control Panel, Security Center). Check any Internet Security programs installed on your computer (such as Norton or McAfee), and check your router settings (if a router is installed). Try disabling all but one firewall – the router’s hardware firewall, if you’re using a router. One firewall should be sufficient.
• Domain Name Servers: The DNS matches the site address you type into your browser with the ID number of the computer on the Internet. Try changing your DNS, as I explain in a previous post, “Slow Internet? Try Changing Your Domain Name Server (DNS) Addresses.”
• Wireless signal interference: If you have a wireless router, a wireless phone or a neighbor’s wireless router may be interfering with the signal. Try changing channels, as I explain in “Weak Connection on Wireless Router? Try Changing Channels.

Disabling Background Programs in Windows

Windows features a configuration tool that enables you to disable programs when Windows starts. You can disable most of the programs to prevent them from running and then enable each program to identify the one that’s causing problems. To prevent programs from running in the background, take the following steps:

1. Open the Start menu and click Run. The Run dialog box appears.
2. Type msconfig and press Enter or click OK. The System Configuration Utility appears.
3. Click the Services tab and click Hide All Microsoft Services to place a check in its box. By hiding Microsoft services you avoid accidentally disabling a service that’s critical for the operation of Windows.



4. Click the Disable All button. This disables all services that are not critical for Windows to function properly.
5. Click the Startup tab. A list of all the background programs that run on startup appears.



6. Click the Disable All button. This removes the checkmark next to each program.
7. Click OK. The System Configuration dialog box appears, prompting you to restart your computer.
8. Exit any programs that are currently running and then click the Restart button. Windows restarts and then displays a dialog box indicating that you’re running Windows with a selective startup configuration for troubleshooting.
9. Click OK. The System Configuration Utility appears.
10. Click Cancel.

Test your Internet speed again. If it’s as fast as it should be, you know that one of the programs or services that you disabled was causing the problem. Use the System Configuration Utility to re-enable the programs and services one at a time (or two or three at a time), restarting Windows after each change. If enabling a program or service slows down your Internet connection, you’ve just identified the culprit.

Many problems can cause a slow or unreliable Internet connection, including the following:

• Lousy Internet service
• Firewall or too many firewalls
• Defective Ethernet adapter
• Router problem
• Ethernet adapter speed setting
• Corrupted communications
• Overloaded DNS (Domain Name Server)

If you’re running a PC with Windows XP, I encourage you to check out a troubleshooting piece that somebody by the name of Belgarath posted on the WildBlue Uncensored! forum about LONC (Limited Or No Connectivity) issues.

However, I did everything recommended in that article and was still having problems. Overall, my Wildblue satellite connection was very slow. In addition, I was unable to connect to certain sites – like my own blogs and Web sites. Here’s the error message I was getting:

Network Error (tcp_error)

A communication error occurred: “Operation timed out”

The Web Server may be down, too busy, or experiencing other problems preventing it from responding to requests. You may wish to try again at a later time.

For assistance, contact your network support team.

I could connect through my dial-up service okay, but I couldn’t connect to these sites through my Wildblue service, which led me to the conclusion that something was wrong with that connection. (Yeah, I know, I’m a genius.)

So, I called Wildblue (actually DISH Network Wildblue) and spoke with a very nice lady in tech support. She recommended I try changing the DNS (Domain Name Server) that my Wildblue connection uses to find computers on the Internet. (The DNS matches the site address you type into your browser with the ID number of the computer on the Internet.)

If your Internet Service Provider does not offer a DNS that performs well for you, considering using OpenDNS – it’s free. You can go to the OpenDNS website for complete instructions or follow the instructions I provide later in this post to enter the following DNS addresses:

Preferred DNS server: 208.67.222.222
Alternate DNS server: 208.67.220.220

Caution: Prior to changing any settings, always jot down your existing settings, so you can go back to what you had.

Here’s how you change your DNS addresses in Windows XP:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.
2. Right-click the network connection that you want to configure, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab (for a local area connection), or the Networking tab (for all other connections), click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.



4. Jot down the existing DNS settings, whatever they happen to be.
5. Remove the checkmark next to Obtain DNS server address automatically.
6. Click Use the following DNS server addresses, and then type the preferred DNS server and alternate DNS server IP addresses in the Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server boxes, as shown below.



7. Click OK to save your changes.

Now try it! And don’t forget to come back here and let me know whether this helped.

Moral of the story: If your Internet connection seems slower than normal or just can’t seem to access certain sites, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to find out whether they can offer some suggestions. Don’t just live with the problem – find a solution.

I just saw a commercial for HughesNet pitching the benefits of satellite Internet over dial up. I use WildBlue as my satellite Internet service provider. I live out in the boonies, where we don’t have DSL or Cable. Even wireless Internet via Sprint Wireless and other telecoms is unavailable where I live. I basically have two choices – 56Kbps dial up or satellite.

The commercial for HughesNet pitched the idea of switching from dial up to satellite. I wouldn’t recommend that option. I suggest keeping your dial up connection. Why? Because whenever you have a storm or thick cloud cover, you can say good-bye to your satellite connection. Last week, I spent an entire day using my AT&T dial up connection because the cloud cover kept disconnecting my satellite connection.

Satellite Internet is great when it works. It’s no replacement for cable or DSL, but if your only other option is dial up, then satellite is an attractive option. I just wouldn’t recommend dropping your dial up service.