Speed up web connections

Helpline Q&A Directory

I want to speed up my internet connection a bit. Are there any settings in Windows I can alter to do this, or am I at the mercy of my ISP's servers?

If your ISP supports Stac or Microsoft compression, you should be able to get faster internet connections by changing the Dial-Up Networking settings. Find out if your ISP supports compression by looking at its technical support web pages or contacting its helpline.

If you're lucky enough that your ISP does support compression, open My Computer, Dial-Up Networking. Right-click your ISP icon and click Properties. Select the Server Types tab. Under Advanced options check the box marked 'Enable software compression'. No other option should be checked.

Under 'Allowed network protocols', only TCP/IP should be checked. Select the General tab and, in the 'Connect using' panel, click on Configure. On the General tab under 'Maximum speed' select the highest value available.

Now select the Connection tab and click Port Settings. Ensure the 'Use FIFO buffers' option is checked and move the Receive Buffer and Transmit Buffer sliders fully to the right. Click ok.

Click the Advanced button to the right of Port Settings. Ensure that 'Use flow control' is checked, and that the option selected is 'Hardware (RTS/CTS)'. Clear the 'Use error control' option. Click ok.

Now connect to your ISP to test the changes. It's possible that these changes won't work for some people, so it's best to note every setting before you change anything. If you do experience problems, before returning everything to the way it was, try the effect of re-enabling 'Use error control'. You could also try reducing the maximum speed to the next lowest setting. See also tip, Internet connection speeds very slow.