| Life without surfing the Web is as unthinkable as life | | | | connection and its best to run tests at different |
| without the telephone.No matter what you're doing in | | | | hours of the day.These test sites report their values |
| any given day, whether it be shopping, checking the | | | | in different formats. |
| weather, or catching up on the events around the | | | | In the evening Internet traffic is much higher and you |
| world, we all have a tendency to go online to get the | | | | want to know how fast your connection is during |
| scoop on these matters. | | | | this time. With this data written down and safely put |
| Whether you're thinking about starting your first | | | | away, you should want to find out how fast your |
| Internet connection or you want to get the most | | | | modem is at other times, especially in the mornings. |
| out of your existing connection, knowing how to | | | | This values may be reported in 1kb or 1 kilobyte or |
| accomplish this can boost that connection and make | | | | 1MB which is 1 megabytes.Look at the site's reporting |
| your web surfing much more enjoyable. | | | | values and take careful, detailed notes of each |
| If your starting out for the first time, you must find | | | | connection speed test. |
| an ISP or Internet Service Provider in your area that | | | | To optimize either connection you will need to tweak |
| serves as a middleman between your PC and the | | | | Windows Settings and install optimization software.If |
| Internet. | | | | you have a Dial-Up connection and use Windows 98 |
| Once you have found yourself a reliable ISP, you | | | | or Me, click Start, Settings, and click Control Panel. |
| have two choices of Internet connections. The | | | | Then right click the Modems icon. |
| slower of the two is the Dial-Up connection but its | | | | Now click Properties, and choose the General tab.Use |
| also the cheapest.If you can afford to pay a higher | | | | the Maximum Speed Drop-Down menu to select |
| monthly fee, a broadband connection is the way to | | | | 115200. If this setting causes your Modem to no |
| go. | | | | longer connect, change it to 57600. |
| Whichever connection you have or start first, it can | | | | Windows XP users should click Start, Control Panel |
| probably run faster with a little optimization. In order | | | | and switch to classic view.Double-click the Phone And |
| to improve your current Internet connection, it would | | | | Modem options and choose the Modem tab. |
| be to your advantage to know your current | | | | Change the maximum settings port speed to 115200 |
| connection speed. | | | | and if the Modem responds poorly or not at all, |
| Check this by running a Speed Test at such sites as | | | | change the speed to 57600. |
| PC Pit Stop at and if you're running a broadband | | | | Broadband users should consider using a tweak utility |
| connection, try Broadband Speed at and another is | | | | such as TCP Optimizer at and after downloading the |
| Broadband Reports at | | | | software, you run it and make a backup of your |
| You can go to such search engines as Google or MSN | | | | current settings. |
| and perform a search for let's say, "Internet Speed | | | | Save the backup, and follow the instructions in the |
| Test" and you will have a ton of software allowing | | | | software to optimize your broadband speed.Don't |
| you to test your Internet connection and many are | | | | forget to click apply changes and click Yes if the |
| free. | | | | software ask you to re-boot the computer. |
| The Broadband Speed Test site allow you to test up | | | | And now you're on the home stretcth. Your |
| to three times a month free.After that you can | | | | computer should run faster now.If the new settings |
| purchase a subscription and test up to 1,000 tests | | | | cause trouble, return to the program and restore |
| for $60.00. You can also purchase just 100 speed | | | | your back up settings. If you failed to make a |
| tests for just $12.00 | | | | backup, restore Windows default settings. |
| Run a few speed tests to objectively test the | | | | |