Pings and Computers?

Question

Hello,

I have some software on my computer to boost the speed of my internet. When I get ready to activate it, it asks me what type of connection I have (dial-up, cable, satellite, etc.) and there is an adjustable meter to set the pings. I can set it low, nuetral or high. It says on the lower ping setting that I get a quicker response and on the higher pings that the downloading is quicker. I just want something that will allow me to pull up webpages quicker when I am web surfing. Do I go for the lower or the higher settings in order to do this.

Also, if I have a firewall set up, should I still use anti-virus software to protect my computer or will the firewall handle everything including viruses, worms, trojans, etc.

Thanks in advance everone for your answers... :D

bcam360

Answer 1

Question 1: The software you have is probably crap - it is not going to affect your internet connection speed any noticeable amount, because that is not controlled by software. However, I would say to set it to a higher ping, because viewing web pages is downloading them. Lower ping (faster response) is likely for gaming.

Question 2: Absolutely keep ONE anti-virus package on your PC. Your firewall will not prevent infections on your PC.

Answer 2

I think the software that you have is seriously crap, all a ping program does is sends a packet out and analyzes the time it takes for the system to return.

I seriously doubt whatever setting you chose will boost the speed of the Internet, the only types of software that actually do, involve an algorithm that changes the way pages are cached onto your computer.

If you want a faster connection, call your ISP and ask for an upgrade.

Packet Internet Groper. A program used to test whether a particular network destination is online, by sending an Internet control message protocol (ICMP) echo request and waiting for a response. (Also called packet internet gopher).


Second question, keep the antivirus running and update it every few days, and do the same with the firewall.