How to find what programs connect to internet

[Tbag]

Hi, my internet download speed has been quite slow recently so i called Virgin Media tech support. We ran tests and found that I get near enough 9mb speed in safe mode but when running windows normally I lose 3-4 meg and I get an average of around 4-5mb.

He said something on my laptop must be causing this and had to pay £60 for someone to sort it out for me, I cant afford to pay that.

I don't have downloads running in the background that I know of and my torrent program is closed, I don't use my laptop a lot and don't download that often so not sure when exactly it started.

Windows update seem to always install things when I shut down, could something be conflicting?

Is there a way to find out myself what programs are hogging the internet?

[jagabo]

Bring up Task Manager and go to the Networking tab. You should see network usage essentially zero when idling. If you don't see zero switch to the process tab. Everything in there should show zero CPU usage (be sure to enable "show processes from all users"). If you see something that is using CPU that's probably your culprit.

If that doesn't turn up anything it gets more difficult.

[aedipuss]

if you want to do it for free you can use netstat, it's a part of windows. bring up a command window and type in netstat -o. that will give you the list of pid's online. the pid is the program id. you can get the actual name from task manager/processes (make sure options show pid's is checked).

otherwise a good paid program is X-NetStat Professional

[roma_turok]

Freeware System explorer can see what process using internet in Connections section
Go also to History to see what loaded on startup

[Tbag]

Thanks for the reply guys

I closed all the windows but just left chrome running, what do you make of this?







3324 is Dropbox and 2956 is iTunesHelper but it doesn't list the rest

[Tbag]

Freeware System explorer can see what process using internet in Connections section
Go also to History to see what loaded on startup


[Attachment 7683 - Click to enlarge]

I dont seem to have a connections tab



I clicked start as admin but still didn't

[aedipuss]

click the box at the bottom of task managar - "show processes from all users"

[roma_turok]

I dont seem to have a connections tab
I clicked start as admin but still didn't

Try select from above View -> Show Left Menu
or try exit by Main -> Exit Application and start by right click on System explorer shortcut and select Run as administrator

[Tbag]

ahh ok, so now i got
108 kaspersky anti virus
1296 host process for windows services
4500 google chrome
3324 dropbox
2956 ituneshelper
1904 team viewer remote control application
1700 apple mobile device service

I know chrome, dropbox and kaspersky are always open but didn't know the rest were, surely they aren't causing my downloads speed to slow down, are they? The networking tab is flat lined so nothing happening there

I dont seem to have a connections tab
I clicked start as admin but still didn't

Try select from above View -> Show Left Menu
or try exit by Main -> Exit Application and start by right click on System explorer shortcut and select Run as administrator

Yeah I see it now, thanks

a few more listed:
windows media player networking service
divxupdate
system
bonjour service
services and controller app

[nic2k4]

Install ZoneAlarm, click the program control tab everything with a green dot is on the net. Click the components tab and you can see which DLL is accessing the network.

[aedipuss]

just a guess but maybe there was a large update that took awhile? maybe windows itself in the background. doesn't look like anything is d/l'ing now.

[roma_turok]

I notes you have 2 connections ON
You connect to internet from Wireless connection or LAN(cable) connection?

[Moontrash]

use a free app called "Whatsrunning"...has everything you''ll ever need to see what's runnin in the background...been usin it for years

Whatsrunning

[Tbag]

just a guess but maybe there was a large update that took awhile? maybe windows itself in the background. doesn't look like anything is d/l'ing now.

windows update sometimes does run in the background then installs when i shut down but its been at "new updates are available" for a while now

I notes you have 2 connections ON
You connect to internet from Wireless connection or LAN(cable) connection?

yes, I was running some speedtests so a ethernet cable is connected to the router

[roma_turok]

Did you try disconnect/disable wireless, restart and run speedtest only from LAN?
In safe mode Antivirus is off, try disable kaspersky filter in LAN and wireless connections, restart and run speedtest again only from LAN with wireless disabled.
enable kaspersky filter after test

[lamarrk]

[QUOTE=roma_turok;2090549]Freeware System explorer can see what process using internet in Connections section
Go also to History to see what loaded on startup

Great suggestion. Thanks!

Lamarr

[Tbag]

Sorry for not posting for a while guys,

Right, so the latest is that because the guys on the phone support said there is something on my laptop causeing my slow downloads I decided to borrow a friends laptop and try the same downloads whilst my laptop was off and surprise surprise it was slow too. I did numerous downloads throughout the day and both laptops had very slow speeds.

I then took my laptop to my friends house who has the same 10mb internet to test the downloads and they were lightning fast compared to my house, 300mb file downloaded in 20mins compared to 3-4 hours at mine. I went home and the downloads were still slow.

I gave Virgin Media a call to explain everything and they ran there usual tests (reboot modem, disconnect wires etc.) and they started blaming my antivirus until I said other laptops with different antivirus installed are slow too. They said that everything shows as working perfectly on their side so the problem is on my side and they couldn't do anything.

After trying all that I could I thought I'd try download a file using my iPhones 3G connection tethered to my laptop, a 700mb file took 3-4 hours over wifi while it took 1h30 using 3G. I told my friend to download the same file at his house and it downloaded in 10-15 mins at 1mbps.

That's where I'm at now and not sure what else to do.

[pirej]

Call your internet provider again, they should check your router.
Or you can try with your friends ruter/modem to see your self.

[jagabo]

What do you get with a wired connection?

[Tbag]

Ive tried connecting directly to the modem, it's a bit quicker than wireless but nowhere near as it used to be

[jagabo]

Then it sounds like the problem is between the cable modem and the cable company.

[sambat]

If your friend has the same cable setup you can test your modem there.

[mazinz]

Just a thought, but is it possible someone nearby is "piggy backing" onto your signal and zapping the speed? I am also surprised that at this point your ISP has not asked you to bring back and replace the modem yet (of course what Sambat mentioned above would verify if indeed the modem is possibly at fault)

[aedipuss]

a couple weeks ago comcast was just toast here, no speed and the modem kept resetting. called them 3 times before they agreed to send someone out to check. an hour before the service tech showed up at my house a big pole fixing bucket truck worked on the line between a couple telephone poles 2 houses down the street. needless to say by the time the tech got here everything was back to good....

[Nelson37]

Go back to those Safe Mode tests and run them again. And again. And again.
IF and repeat IF you consistently see better speeds in Safe Mode, then your ISP is correct, it is something on your end. Eliminate ALL listed programs by using MSConfig and test again. Repeatedly, you need an average, one or two tests are worthless.

Eliminate your router from the equation while testing. That is not your ISP's equipment and they do not care if it has a problem. Also, eliminating variables from the equation is a major part of ISOLATE and IDENTIFY. Without this, you are simply guessing.

Internet speeds are VARIABLE. Multiple tests are required to get an average.

Also, you are looking at bandwidth usage as though the programs were directly absorbing this. Many programs, such as AntiVirus, do not really use bandwidth per se but impose additional overhead on other programs that are. It may not be using 20% of the bandwidth itself, but very well could be slowing down a download by 20%.

Back to those Safe Mode tests. You roughly doubled your speed by making a change at your end. Do you need a blinking, 6-foot high, brightly colored Neon sign?

There may be other issues as well, but start with what you can totally control. Eliminate that, then go for more.

[macode]

NetLimiter is an ultimate internet traffic control and monitoring tool designed for Windows. You can use NetLimiter to set download/upload transfer rate limits for applications or even single connection and monitor their internet traffic.
Along with this unique feature, Netlimiter offers comprehensive set of internet statistical tools. It includes real-time traffic measurement and long-term per-application internet traffic statistics
http://www.netlimiter.com/

[Tbag]

Go back to those Safe Mode tests and run them again. And again. And again.
IF and repeat IF you consistently see better speeds in Safe Mode, then your ISP is correct, it is something on your end. Eliminate ALL listed programs by using MSConfig and test again. Repeatedly, you need an average, one or two tests are worthless.

Eliminate your router from the equation while testing. That is not your ISP's equipment and they do not care if it has a problem. Also, eliminating variables from the equation is a major part of ISOLATE and IDENTIFY. Without this, you are simply guessing.

Internet speeds are VARIABLE. Multiple tests are required to get an average.

Also, you are looking at bandwidth usage as though the programs were directly absorbing this. Many programs, such as AntiVirus, do not really use bandwidth per se but impose additional overhead on other programs that are. It may not be using 20% of the bandwidth itself, but very well could be slowing down a download by 20%.

Back to those Safe Mode tests. You roughly doubled your speed by making a change at your end. Do you need a blinking, 6-foot high, brightly colored Neon sign?

There may be other issues as well, but start with what you can totally control. Eliminate that, then go for more.

I put the problem down to them because my laptop downloads fast in different households with the same internet package as mine and when I borrowed friends' laptops to check the speed at my house they were dreadfully slow. 3 Different laptops (inc mine) were tested.

Whatever was downloaded was very slow weather it was videos on the laptop or even apps onto phones over wi-fi.

Today I just got a response from one of the support guys on the companies forum and was told that my modem downstream power levels were too low so an engineer has been booked to alter it, fingers crossed that it will be sorted.

[Nelson37]

So you are going to choose to ignore the very simple change to Safe Mode which, with no other change, either in software or hardware, nearly doubled your speed? Did you not personally SEE this happen?

There may very well be more than one issue, but this one is certainly significant. Also, it points a finger directly at antivirus or other running software.

[lordsmurf]

Change to openDNS for DNS services:

Read this: Internet going slow? Here's the fix! (No need to change ISP!)
That often helps.

Try to ping a URL -- forum.videohelp.com, for example.
Then try again with its IP: 174.133.216.234
Compare speeds. I bet your named connection loads far slower.
69ms here, for both.

Quite a few ISPs have unacceptably awful DNS servers.