Slower Downloads

[GStephens]

Is the new software or format causing slower downloads? I rely upon dial up internet services here in Central Texas to access the internet. I am currently logged on at 44 bps. Sometimes, I access at 52 bps and sometimes as low as 32 bps. In spite of these limitations, pages on this site used to download in a matter of only a few seconds (perhaps 5 seconds), Now, for the past two days, it is taking SIGNIFICANTLY longer. Just now, it took 36 seconds to go from page one of a post to page two.

I love this site and have logged on at least daily (sometimes three or four times a day) since joining. But with the significantly slower download times, I am not enjoying the experience as much anymore. I am not finding any difference in download times of other sites that I routinely visit so it must be either a software, server, bandwidth, or formatting problem.

Andy, I just felt like you should know. Thanks for all you do now and for all you have done in the past.

GStephens

[Pschoerrn]

Hi GStephens,


you´re not alone. I am having the slower and longer downloads as well, although having a dsl broadband connection. But for me it takes only a few seconds more than usual, so it is not that hard as with your dial-up connection.

bye

Bjoern

[Rebee]

I have not noticed any change in the service time for the fourm. I do run several housekeeping software packages about every other day.

Spyware
Adware
Symantic Virus software

I also run the Micro Soft Windows "Disc Cleanup" in the Accessory section. This will get rid of unwanted Temporary Internet files. Delete them all.

Also run the "Defragment option" on your hard drive. Also under "Accessory"

These things will speed up your machine greatly.

dale

[Stefrobrts]

I have also noticed it takes longer to load. I am on dialup, so it's slow already, but some of the page loads have really crawled.

[Silvertwinkie]

At home, I'm getting 1.2mbs and if I am at work and catch this site, I've got about an 18.5mb pipe to the Internet...neither connection seems to have any issues with this site.

[Stefrobrts]

You're moving so fast, how would you notice

Dang, I wish I had a choice other than dialup out here in the boonies!

[GStephens]

Thanks for the advice, but I'm relatively certain that the problem of slower than usual downloads is not with my computer since I am not experiencing slower than normal downloads with any other sites that I routinely visit. The problem only started on this site when we went to the current page format two days ago.

I have most of the utilities in place that were mentioned above. I routinely defragment my hard drive, but I checked just now and it was only 3% fragmented, not enough to warrant running the defrag program right now.

I am not running the newest or biggest configuration, but I normally surf the internet with a Toshiba Pentium 4 with a 2.30 GHz processor, 60 GB hard drive with 60 HDD and 512 MB of DDR SDRAM and integrated 32MB VRAM video memory in a laptop that is only about a year old.

I'm going to notice anything that slows down the downloading process more than most anybody else because of my dialup connection (32 to 52 bps) which is dependant in large part to the poorer quality of the phone lines that we have out here in the country. I just thought that it might be well to advise Andy that this particular site has significantly slowed in its download times the past several days. Not everyone has access to cable, satellite or a T1 phone line and insignificant changes that would not be noted by folks with higher speed services become significant to those of us dependent upon more antiquated internet access systems.

GStephens

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by Stefrobrts

You're moving so fast, how would you notice

Dang, I wish I had a choice other than dialup out here in the boonies!

Tell me about it....downloads of 100megs take about a minute.

You do have a choice. Sat TV has it. From what I understand it's both up and down via the sat. In the old days it was down via sat, up via modem.

Not sure what kind of value it is, but it is there and there is no boonies from space.

[Hippo]

I have been using Starband Sat for 4 years. It is faster than dial-up. If you could get DSL that is the fastest. I have DSL at work. It is just great.

[GStephens]

I agree that there are no boonies from space. Still, there is a matter of local providers to provide satellite access. To my knowledge, we don’t have an internet service provider who offers that service locally. It is the same with TV cable. We have a choice of using our own antenae or ONE local cable provider offering 31 total channels. It is a different world when you live in a place where there are only about 4000 people in a whole county. It wasn't that many years ago that we got a regular telephone number. Prior to that our "ring" was two longs and a short. (You would manually ring the phone's crank handle for a long time twice and then once for just a little - thus two longs and a short.

If I can locate an internet provider who does provide satellite service, then that would be an avenue for me to work AROUND the issue of slower downloads, but it still doesn’t change the fact that this is the only site with which I am experiencing problems and that it started several days ago with the last change in page format. I just thought that perhaps Andy could make some minor adjustment that would restore the accessibility factors of the site to what they were three days ago which would enable ALL of us to enjoy this site and the interaction it brings.

We ranch and are in the registered Angus business. Many, if not most, of our customers are also ranchers that also rely upon dial up internet services. I am very mindful of slow downloads because my customers tell me that they will not sit there waiting for 30 seconds to a minute for one of my pages to download. I am very careful to place information in multiple page formats and not use music or media gimmicks that would significantly slow down the site. I place information that is slow to load such as pictures on separate pages clearly marked as PICs to accommodate those potential customers who are in areas with slower access.

On this website, I don’t think the problem is pictures since there are few pictures now on the new format and since I had no problems when there were pictures appearing on the left side of the page.

I just felt like I could advise the powers that be that there was a problem and I was hopeful something could be tweaked to make it better. I don’t intend to make a big issue of it.
GStephens

[maxandgeorgia]

We notice the increased download time also. An observation, like GStephens' --not a complaint.

[uwe]

Same slowness here, slow at work with DSL, agonizing at home with the dial up.
I simply can't log on for a quick peek anymore during the day. It takes too long.
Other sites are as usual, even e-bay.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Stefrobrts

You're moving so fast, how would you notice

Dang, I wish I had a choice other than dialup out here in the boonies!

Stef, there is the satellite option. Upload times will still be bad, but getting stuff like web pages to load is pretty fast.
Upload is still by telephone line, download by satellite. Several ISP's offer this option.
Terry

[aluminauts]

I found this satellite uplink information very interesting.

http://www.datastormusers.com/rvsatinternet.cfm
especially the tripod, free roaming offering
http://www.maxwellsatellite.com/

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by aluminauts

I found this satellite uplink information very interesting.

http://www.datastormusers.com/rvsatinternet.cfm
especially the tripod, free roaming offering
http://www.maxwellsatellite.com/

Looks to me like no phone lines.

Steph, you have another project for the Airstream this winter!