INTERNET "HANGS" 10

[BLEW2]

i am using windows 98se and a dial-up modem,my isp is ntlworld and i live in the uk.
i get into ntl or any site without trouble.HOWEVER when on-site, when clicking between pages etc i often get unexplained and quite long delays. at first, i put it down to heavy traffic but it does't seem to matter what time of day i'm on.i can only think that its the isp but i'd wecome any suggestions

 

[Win98User]

I would suggest you have spyware on your machine. Download and run Adaware.

http://download.com.com/3000-2094-10045910.html?legacy=cnet

Regards. Running a PC without backups is like driving a car without a seatbealt. Your knack'ed when you crash!

 

[Crustyoldbloke]

With all due respects to Win98User (my friend John), there is a problem with Adaware at present (see Lockergnome et al)try Spybot S&D instead

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/downloadoftheday/story/0,24330,3387119,00.html

Regards
Phil

 

[Win98User]

Thanks Phil.

I will try that out when I get a chance.

Regards,

John. Running a PC without backups is like driving a car without a seatbealt. Your knack'ed when you crash!

 

[chaproc]

I subscribe to the Langalist newsletter which recently had the following article regarding AdAware:

There's more trouble with Ad-Aware (the free anti-spyware tool from Lavasoft). For months now, it's been suffering from slow or missing updates, download sites dying, etc. But it's gotten worse. A number of readers--- first among them CptSiskoX and Jeff Rankin-Lowe--- pointed to a disturbing article at

http://www.spywareinfo.com/newsletter/archives/december-2002/12252002.php

that argues that it's time to stop using Ad-Aware.

Sadly, I must agree. Although my own experience producing the free version of this newsletter makes me have great sympathy for anyone who tries to offer a free product to the public, Lavasoft seems to have effectively abandoned the free version of Ad-Aware. As of this writing, there have been no updates for almost four months. That's reason enough to walk away: An outdated spyware tool is all but useless.

The folks at Spywareinfo recommend four alternative tools: the free Spybot Search-and-Destroy (

http://security.kolla.de/

or

http://ejrs.com/spybot/

) and three separate commercial tools for removing surveillance spyware, keyloggers, and password stealing trojans, at a total cost of $140. (Ouch!) See

http://www.spywareinfo.com/newsletter/archives/december-2002/12252002.php

for links to the tools they recommend.

I dunno about you, but $140 seems a little pricey to me. I covered my two favorite alternatives in an article at

http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-10-31.htm#1

: There, I also recommended the free Spybot Search-and-Destroy (

http://security.kolla.de/

or

http://ejrs.com/spybot/

) but also suggested PestPatrol, which has a free trial version, and--- even if purchased--- costs as little as $30, or fully $110 *less* than the solution that Spywareinfo suggests.

Note that both Spybot and PestPatrol have evolved since I wrote that previously-referenced article. Spybot is now at version 1.1 release 4, and PestPatrol is at version 4.1. Both have expanded the number of malware/spyware/pestware nasties they protect you from, and both have added new features. I think Spybot is now the best free tool available; and PestPatrol the best commercial tool.

In the interests of full disclosure, note that PestPatrol is a LangaList advertiser, although that has nothing to do with this recommendation. (If you disbelieve me, by all means feel free to do your own research into effective spyware solutions, because only you can decide what best fits your needs.) If you'd like to check out PestPatrol, you can . . . at

http://www.pestpatrol.com

). It's your choice.

In any case, use *something* to protect you from spyware and such, and keep the tool current. Don't rely on old software to keep your PC safe from new threats!

I have used AdAware from very early on as well as SpybotS&D and can attest that Spybot is more comprehensive by far.

 

[carrr]

Thanks people...
...I ws placing a lot of stock in Adaware, but after reading the article that chaproc pointed to...I'm leery. I've been using SpyBot along with Adaware, but...I guess the latter's getting shelved until v.6 arrives...

 

[BLEW2]

ran ad-aware as suggested...no effect. ran spybot, it found 3 items which aaw appeared to miss.internet performance now much improved.thanks for the suggestion

 

[Win98User]

Thanks BLEW2,
I (we) appreciate the feedback.

All the best. I am not a number. I am a free man!
(6)

 

[BLEW2]

RE my internet hangs
using SPYBOT improved things a lot but i still get longish hangs (20 secs ish) sometimes.this didn't happen with my older (and slower) machine. it's almost as tho the isp is deliberately "blocking". does this happen ? it seems too often to be due to excess traffic .i'd be grateful for any advice or non-rude/phsically possible suggestions
.....Barry

 

[Crustyoldbloke]

Hello Barry

Could it be a browser problem I wonder? Are you using IE6.0? If so, go to TOOLS-INTERNET OPTIONS-ADVANCED and tick the box for restore default settings-APPLY-OK.

The only other thing I would check would be in DialUpNetworking. Under SERVER TYPES tab, make sure that the only item ticked is TCP/IP. Regards
Phil

 

[BLEW2]

hi phil
"server types" also has "enable software compression" ticked
does this matter ?have defaulted IE will se what happens
thanks for your input
regards barry

 

[Crustyoldbloke]

Barry

Software compression is OK and won't cause a "wait". I was concerned that you might have had LOGON TO NETWORK ticked. That does cause a hang.

Of course it could also be your antivirus software doing a check on the content of the page. To check that, you'll have to disable it and surf safely to see what happens. Regards
Phil

 

[Win98User]

Hi,
After restoring the defaults as Phil suggested earlier, I would just add that the multimedia settings probably need tweaking.

The only ones I ever had ticked on Dial-up were "Show Pictures" and "Smart Image Dithering" the rest of the settings you can do without and page loading is quicker without them.

Regards. I am not a number. I am a free man!
(6)

 

[paladin1]

Just a sidenote. This is a great, freeware application, that runs seamlessly with Spybot S&D:

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/spywareblaster.html

Check it out,
paladin1

 

[mclellan]

After reading this note, I thought I would post the information in an email and send it to ad-aware (coldmoon@lavasoft.de )and see if this was true.

Here is the response I received from Michael A Wood


Barry,
It has become apparent that many people are concerned with the lack
of updates for Ad-aware 5.83. We acknowledge this and apologize for
any inconvenience this may have caused. The reasons for this are as follows:

1) The 5x engine is old and to keep ahead of our target base needs to be
replaced. Are we saying it is bad or ineffective? No. But to effectively and
safely remove many new targets and those older ones, which have changed/mutated,
we would need to do a major upgrade of 5.83 and it's reference file as well.

2) The 5x engine (in its current configuration) cannot handle many of the new
targets correctly. As stated in #1, the entire Ad-aware executable would need to be rewritten.

3) We have been hard at work on that very upgrade, but where this is different is
in WHAT we are upgrading to. As many of you already know, we are/were working
on version 6. It is an entirely new application; more powerful, expandable, configurable,
and to be quite honest, light years ahead of version 5.83. We decided that any further
upgrades beyond 5.83 would be more of a waste of time than productive as the coding
work for version 6 was already underway. We therefore decided to place all of our efforts
into the new version.

4) As with any endeavor started from scratch, we ran into several delays and complications
as proposed features didn't work correctly or were not compatible with the new version.
We apologize for the delays but they were unavoidable.

We are however notifying you (our customers and the general public) that we have
entered into the late stages of beta testing. Except for some minor polishing and some
last minute initial bug fixes, we are nearly done and should be ready to release Ad-aware 6
to our customers mid January 2003 and to our freeware users at the beginning of February 2003.
Please be patient and we are confident that when you see what we have to offer you will
understand AND appreciate the time taken to make it the best solution available!

 

[BLEW2]

hi everybody, my "hang" problem persists.every now-and-again,when i click a link, nothing happens and data does not move in any direction.then it links without any further intervention from me.
i'm inclined to think that its the ISP (NTLWORLD) it might even be a device to cut their load.any thoughts ?

 

[Crustyoldbloke]

I would concur with that Barry. Why not threaten them with disconnection if they can't get their act together, perhaps mention their biggest rival Telewest with Blueyonder. Regards
Phil

 

[BLEW2]

hi phil,NTLS response was that there was insufficient data to judge .they also completely misread the problem as being "slow surfing". my problem is that my general "surfing" speed is ok but often,when i click a link,nothing at all happens for up to a minute. it's getting to be a real pain. i've just changed the "packet" size to LARGE but it doesn't make any difference of course.
thanks for your help......barry

 

[Crustyoldbloke]

Barry

Have you thought about using an Internet connection accelerator, although I still feel that NTL are the culprits here. I use (and have used for 2 years or so) EasyMTU from Rob Vonk. It may do absolutely nothing for you, but there again it may help. Here's the address:

http://www.rob.cybercomm.nl

Incidentally, although I don't think this is relevant, what does the little box above your cursor read when you place it over the two "computer screens" icon in the taskbar?

Mine is normally 54667, sometimes 52000. Regards
Phil

 

[BLEW2]

hi phil,i'll try easymtu but i doubt if it is relevant,my problem isnt speed in general. "2 screens" icon says bytes recd....,bytes sent...... @44000.ntl always connects at 44000.thanks for the advice, i,m having a little tinker with the IR settings and with page synchronisation.i'm trying to eliminate "resident" pages
regards barry