How can i tell if its my computer or Internet service that is running slow?

Question

It take for ever to do anything on my computer most the time my screen saver comes on before anything i click on will show up some people tell me its my computer but i think it just i have bad internet service how can i tell.

Answer 1

There are a few details you're omitting which could provide insight toward solving your dilemma- are you using a wireless connection? What type of service provider are you using? Is your computer running non-internet applications slowly?

It goes without saying that if you are using a dial-up method of connecting to the internet, it is your connection that is slow, but it may also be your computer.

If you in fact have a broadband service provider such as Verizon DSL or Comcast Cable (assuming you are in the US), your internet connection can be tested simply by calling them and explaining that you're having difficulty with your connection. They can test your line to see if it's working properly.

When you say it "takes forever to do anything" are you referring to downloading or simply loading a web-page?

Downloading can take a long time depending on the files you are attempting to download, even on a broadband connection. (A full-length movie can take hours or even overnight, depending on quality of the movie)

Are you finding that your computer takes forever to "boot up"? What happens when you run other software? If your computer can perform these other actions without performance issues, it's most likely your internet connection. If you're wireless, you may have a weak signal.

If your computer is behaving slowly all around, the first steps to take would be to look at the programs you have running at start-up and get rid of the un-needed ones. That is- the programs your computer automatically opens and runs each time you turn it on. This eats up processing speed because programs you aren't using are running in the background. Look at the bottom right hand corner of your computer's desktop. If you see many "icons" sitting there, your computer is running a ton of programs which you may not need to have running. Close them out, and change your start-up preferences so that they do not run at start-up.

Also, try defragmenting your hard-drive, clearing out your computers cache (cookies and temporary files) Often these simple actions can increase performance.

Run an anti-spyware and anti-virus program to find and eliminate any malicious code which may be slowing your computer down. If you are a Windows user, you should be doing this at least once a week.

RAM indeed plays a role in your computers performance, but it shouldn't have any effect on general internet browsing, unless you're visiting video intensive sites, or streaming audio or video.

On a final note, if your computer's processor isn't running at least 1 ghz, you're going to experience slow performance no matter what you do. Most modern computers are running at 2 ghz or better.

Answer 2

I don't believe that internet service being slow would have anything to do with working on your computer. If your computer is running slowly when it's NOT on the internet, then it's not the internet. If your screensaver is coming on first - it's NOT the internet.... the only thing that affects the internet is when your click on E.

Do you have Norton running? If you do, I suspect strongly that it's the culprit. I have uninstalled it from lots of computers to find that it was Norton that was making it very slow. AVG is a free, and wonder AV program that many people use with no problem. You also can try Disk Cleanup and Defragging.

Answer 3

Using registry cleaner can fix your computer and then make your computer faster,Why?the reason is that there are some regsitry errors and remnant,corrupt files and temp files in your computer to cause "computer slow".
Everytime you install and uninstall software on your computer and surfing online you create junk in the computer registry.over time, the registry can grow to enormous proportions, especially if the various programs you've installed do not do a good job of deleting and/or updating it's Registry entries.You need to scan and clean your computer with registry cleaner to make it fast.Good Regisry Cleaner will improve your computer and Internet performance dramatically!It even can speed up your computer by 300% or more!
There are some comparison and review of TOP 5 registry cleaners.

http://www.****************************

You can download and scan your computer for free.

Answer 4

If you try opening applications that don't use the internet (like Microsoft Office or Winamp) or try printing things and they take a long time to load on the screen, then its your computer. You can do a speed test, http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

Most likely if you have less than 512MB of RAM it is your computer. The more RAM, the faster your computer will be. 512MB is acceptable, but you want 1-2GB. Also, restart your computer frequently to free up old/used RAM.

Answer 5

hi there !

first of all about any PC and its compenents to connect into the internet should be at least with 256 MB Ram ,and a connection with at least 1 MB into net .

but about your request i just can recommend that is you should disable screen saver and some other compenents with require more and more to run .such as your graphic which mostly takes too much power of your PC .

and recommend you that take a look at this magazine PC Projects too .

goodluck

Answer 6

There's a little program you can download free called "NetMeter". It tells you the kbps coming in to your pc. If that number is where it should be, it's probably your pc. If this is the case, get a spyware removal tool like spybot s&d or ad-aware se, and try that. Also try deleting all your temporary internet files. Good luck!

Answer 7

yup, its ure computer, try and speed it up by checking if you have any viruses or spyware, If your computer is slow running all the programs, then there is no doubt it is the problem not your internet. Good Luck

Answer 8

If you are using Windows your service is slow from Adware, Spyware and a poor operating system.

Also, try a little punctution. It doesn't have to be correct all the time.

Answer 9

You may restore your computer to a earlier restore point.If the problem still persists then you may restore your computer to an earlier point of previous restoration. This may solve your problem.

Answer 10

Call your ISP and they will give u an IP address to type into your browser that will show you real time speed on your connection

http://stores.ebay.com/the-downriver-dollar-store