Windows 7 64bit Very Slow Download Speeds

Anonymous
2010-01-12T16:33:08+00:00

I bought a new top-of-the line HP Pavilion when Win 7 came out - fastest proc they offer, 12GB RAM, Win 7 64bit preloaded.  I've had it about 2 months.  The machine itself is lightning fast - but the internet download speed is molassas slow.  Would be faster to chisel in stone.

My home LAN has the Win7 box, my old HP running Vista (4GB RAM, about 3 years old) and an iMac (4 GB RAM, about a year old).  All 3 machines are connected physically to the router (no wireless connections).  It's a basic and no-frills network - I don't have a webserver, torrents, filesharing or anything like that.  Basic connectivity between machines, and internet access.  That's it.

My ISP is Comcast.

Here are my ul/dl speeds:

          UPLOAD    DOWNLOAD   PING

Win 7   ~3 Mb/s    > 1 Mb/s       88ms

Vista    ~3 Mb/s    20 Mb/s         89ms

iMac    ~3 Mb/s     20 Mb/s        88ms

(this according to speedtest.net)

The upload and download speeds on the old clunker Vista machine and on the iMac are as expected.  The Win 7 box upload is the same as the other machines - the download speed is slooooow.  Less than 1/20th of the Vista box or the iMac.

I also bought a new Linksys WRT210N Gigabit router.  Updated the firmware last night.  Updated the drivers for the Intel NIC in the Win 7 box.  Problem persists.

Rebooted the router & cable model (and the Win 7 box).  Problem persists.

Disabled IPv6, Discovery Mapper - basically everything except IPv4, QoS packet scheduler & file and print sharing.  Problem persists.

Booted into Safe Mode.  Problem persists.

Tried Firefox, Safari, Chrome & IE8 - no noticeable differences.

Disabled Norton A/V, Firewall, Win Defender.  No change.

Swapped the ethernet cable.  No change.

There is only one net device in Device Manager - the Intel 82567V-2  Gigabit NIC.  No conflicts of any sort that I can see.

Ran Windows Update to get the latest stuff - then disabled it.  No change.

Checked all the logs, ran diagnostics, and tried all the "netsh" tweaks I read about.  No change.

So, ultimately, this machine I sunk about $3K into is performing (online) like a snail.  It's almost unuseable, especially since 90% of my job involves online stuff.

I've read dozens - no, hundreds - of similar threads all over the internet, with people reporting the EXACT same conditions - expected upload speed, awful download speed.  So, this is obviously not an isolated problem, and it's not a problem with my ISP, router, modem, NIC, drivers, firewall, A/V or anything else.  It looks like a Win 7 problem - my question is, what is the solution??

Ferris?  Anyone?

Thanks!

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Internet and connectivity

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2010-01-13T15:29:41+00:00

Hi KevinW2112,

I would suggest you to bypass the router and then try connecting to the internet directly and check. There have been instances where the router for Linksys has been an issue for slow download speed.

Also, slow downloads can be caused by any one of the following conditions:

• Poor line quality or excessive line noise 

• Defective filters, telephone line cord, splitters, or inside wiring problems 

• An incorrectly configured digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM)

• Routing problems from the Internet service provider (ISP) to the Internet

• Problems in transmission from the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) to the ISP (The ILEC is the local phone company.)

You may refer to the link below for assistance on the issue -

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/Windows7/Why-is-my-Internet-connection-so-slow

If you still face the same issue, I would suggest you to contact the Internet Service Provider (ISP) for assistance on the issue.

Hope this helps. Let us know the results.

Thanks,

Meghmala – Microsoft Support

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think

Was this answer helpful?

3 people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

43 additional answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2010-10-21T00:36:16+00:00

    I have changed the setting accordingly and unfortunately it failed to fix the problem. is there anything else we can try? thanks

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2010-10-24T02:44:59+00:00

    Okay, after you've updated to the latest driver, try adjusting some of the settings for the connection...

     --> CONTROL PANEL --> NETWORK AND INTERNET --> NETWORK CONNECTION

    You should see your adapter "Local Internet Connection" icon.  Right click it.

    Select "Properties"

    Select the "Client for Microsoft Networks" and click the "Configure" Button.

    Go to the "Advanced" tab.

    Make sure the "Speed/Duplex Settings" roll-down is set to "Auto Negotiation". Click OK. Exit.

    I don't recall what the original installation default setting was (it's been awhile), but pretty sure it was wrong on mine. This setting works well though.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2010-10-24T16:16:05+00:00

    Thanks for your response. I think that my slow download speed is related to N vs G. My Netgear WNR834B2(b/g/n-draft) does not like to work with any laptop with an N adapter. Both of our new HP laptop and Macbook have a b/g/n built-in adapter. If I disable N setting, the download speed shoot up to 20 meg. I can't explain it. Now I just switched back to an older Linksys router(b/g) and everything works well. I guess that changes are NOT always good :-(

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2010-11-02T18:50:47+00:00

    Try the following URLs and see if they help (The WindowsSecrets one is the easiest to do):

    Enjoy,

    Raymond Michael Attila (as in the Hun) Erdey

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments