Slow Internet speed.
 

Desktop PC at home running XPSP2
Run fine until recently when it started going mega slow checking email etc.
Now trying to access most web sites it is sooooo painfully slow, most of the time the site never comes up completely even given 10 minutes.
Strangely off the homepage, google.co.uk, I found some of the linked sites, eg The Indian Times, which I chose randomly from some quick search topic I tried, was really quick, but just about everything else is dog slow.
So, using another PC I downloaded Spybot onto a memory stick and installed it to the desktop PC. Went fine but it then insisted on getting an update from the 'net, and hence fails due to the aforementioned crappy speed that achieves.
Got a copy of Ad-aware which went fine, did quick then full scan, found 2 items (forgotten names of them) which I removed. Have rebooted since but the email download speed , surfing etc is still soo slow.

Any more ideas ?
Anything that forced an update via internet post-install is a no-go at the moment so I think I need to source full packages of applications.
PC speed itself seems fine, looking at the Task Manager doesn't indicate anything untoward.
We have a laptop running off the same router that the PC is on - that connects wirelessly and it's internet speed is great so tht for me eliminates the phone line and the router.
I've rebooted the router. Even connecting to the router on the PC is painfully slow.
Maybe I could install anti-virus or spyware stuff to the laptop then scan the networked PC drive ?

No anti-virus s/w installed - big oops methinks but that's to be dealt with soon, for now the PC is unusable as a surfing/emailing machine.

First thing you need to check is the router stats to see what your line is sync'd at and what your SNR and line attenuation figures are. This info will help determine whether you have any issues with your line.

Also run this test Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test and report back your results as this will also give you your line speed stats (run it a couple of times to check 1st time is not an anomaly)

Edit: just seen you said a laptop connected runs fine but still check the router anyway. Clear down all the internet cache off the machine and do the basics and yes install a free anti virus program first off and do a full scan - I use Avira on one of my machines as it is allegedly supposed to be better than AVG/Avast for detection.

Cheers :
I cleared down the internet history and temp files, emptied trash.
As mentioned, even using the PC to access the router via routerlogin.com is really slow whereas the laptop doing the same takes seconds.
Did a ping to the router ip from the PC and DOS level and the response was a few milliseconds so the physical PC - router connection appears fine. Seems it is an issue 'above' this, ie the application or maybe the tcp/ip or something.
Not sure if any of the settings could have been screwed - 2 young children, 2 and 5 years, sometimes get to touch the PC and one is allowed access to a couple of specific sites but I guess they could unintentionally mess up some of the settings.

Have you tried a different microfilter? Checked the wiring? Simple first ...

I had a similar problem that I noticed after moving house. My PC would download fairly slowly but an ancient PC I built for a friend was several times faster. Eventually I came across the TCP Optimizer at SpeedGuide.net :: TCP Optimizer / Downloads Ran this and all was fine ....

I *think* what had happened was that I was trying to tweak the networking on my PC at my old address to make things faster but if didn't. However, these new settings didn't agree with the new phone line/ISP. Nowt to lose by trying ....

As for cleaning the PC up first I use, ccleaner, regseeker.exe, adaware plus AV (NOD32 in my case). Run them in that order then the tcpoptimiser and see what happens ..

Dave

Yep could also be the ip stack completely screwed by something. I had a software firewall that I uninstalled on a machine and it died on uninstalling and completely killed the networking config on the pc even when cleaned off and reset all network config etc. Had to rebuild the pc in the end as there was no repairing it. Did similar to your problem, took an age to talk to internet or any other pc on the network or sometimes wouldn't communicate at all.

Could also be the PC's onboard NIC failing.

Have you tried re-installing/updating the network drivers? Maybe Windows Update has updated your drivers for you and knackered up the speed.
Also check the speed of the network card in the network properties in 'My Network Places'.

who is your internet provider? and is the slow performance all the time? as a lot of broadband speed can be throttled by the provider..

and have you connected a mates PC or laptop to rule out your broadband... ?

Broadband connection is fine - I connected right now using laptop via Netgear wireless router that the PC is also connected to via network cable (have tried a different cable with no improvement)
Network adaptor shows no problems, is also a Netgear, driver showing dated as 2001 so won't have been recently updated ?
Have gone and bought Norton Internet Security (cost me £40 at WH Smith) and it's been running a full scan for 3hrs : found 1 tracking cookie and 10 or so trojans (multiples of ByteVerifys and also Maliframe!HTMLs )

Norton scan has completed and generally it is as poor, random sites off a google searches can be pretty quick to come up, many are dog slow tho'

Tried alternative phone line filters with no effect. About to try my old adsl broadband modem.

ISP is virgin.net.

Ok, some success :
The old bband modem has fired up and connection is restored at a decent speed so ...
fingerpointing is to ?
a) PC network card
b) Router (altho' as an adsl modem connecting wirelessly it is perfectly ok
It has 4 network ports and I've tried them in turn with no difference.
c) screwed winxp settings

Beginning to think it's the PC network port/card : even just connecting to the router is slooooowww whilst using the BBmodem is still good.
At least I've now got my net and email connections back on the main pc.

Best way to pinpoint the problem ?

bband modem is USB is it? Got to be a bad nic then. Unless the routers ethernet ports have all got a fault, possible but more likely to be your PC's NIC. 1 way to know for sure, buy yourself a cheapo PCI nic for a fiver and test.

Current BBmodem is USB connection so, I agree that the router is, in my unexpert opinion, least likely to be the problem, the card isn't showing as having any problems when I look at it in Windows but it is maybe not failed, just a fault that causes it to be mega slow.
Thanks all for help here : it was getting to be very frustrating.

Try the tcpoptimiser I suggested. If nothing else you then know your network settings are fine.

Dave

Yea don't trust Windows error reporting its usually wrong :) I had a nic that was toast n Windows reported it as fine. As soon as I dloaded something it locked up my net connection. A new NIC sorted it.