How to Speed Up Your Internet



There are a number of things that you can do to speed up your Internet. You can configure your web browser so that it does not run video, sound, graphics or other multimedia programs. You can also avoid peak traffic times; these are usually the evenings and weekends when everyone is at home and online. Alternatively, you can clean out your web cache. This stores information about all the websites you visit. If there is too much information in here it can cause your Internet to load slowly. It's easy to organize your Internet cache and you will use your Internet much more effectively if you do.

Another option is to acquire a more up-to-date Internet connection or get a newer modem. The speediest telephone modem on the market is 56KB/second. Make sure that your modem is installed properly and configured correctly. Alternatively, you could upgrade your Internet connection to satellite, DSL or wave, to name a few.

There are several other options that you can try. They require step-by-step instructions, outlined below.

Option 1: Turn Off the Indexing Service

The Index Service scans, processes and then itemizes all of the documents and programs on your computer. The purpose of this is to speed up the search function. If you search for files on your computer often, the Indexing Service will significantly increase the speed at which you do this, which can be enormously helpful. Most people, however, do not execute daily searches on their computer and don't need to enable the Indexing Service. Furthermore, the Indexing Service utilizes significant amounts of RAM (Random Access Memory) and can slow down your Internet connection. If you don't need the Indexing Service, follow these instructions to disable it:

  1. Select the Start menu.
  2. Click on "Settings."
  3. Open the "Control Panel."
  4. Select "Add/Remove Programs."
  5. Double-click "Add/Remove Windows Components."
  6. Uncheck the "Indexing Services."
  7. Select "Next."

Option 2: Optimize Your Display Settings

One of the best parts of Windows XP is the aesthetics. The display configurations are look very nice. That being said, if you utilize all of the visual functions offered this can slow your computer down. To effectively optimize the display settings, complete the following steps:

  1. Select the Start menu.
  2. Select "Settings."
  3. Open the "Control Panel."
  4. Select "System."
  5. Select the "Advanced" tab.
  6. Next, select the "Performance tab" and hit "Settings."
  7. In the "Settings" tab, uncheck the following items: "Use Visual Styles on Windows and Buttons," "Use Drop Shadows for Icon Labels on the Desktop," "Show Tanslucent Selection Rectangle," "Show Shadows Under Mouse Pointer" and finally "Show Shadow Under Menus." These are all very unnecessary visual displays.

Option 3: How to Speed Up "Folder Browsing"

  1. Open "My Computer"
  2. Select "Tools"
  3. Select "Folder Options"
  4. Click on the "View" tab
  5. If there is a check mark next to "Automatically Search For Network Folders and Printers Box" uncheck it
  6. Hit "Apply" and then "OK" and then reboot your computer
 

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