How to Improve Internet Speed in Windows XP

Actually, your Internet speed in Windows XP does not only depend on your ISP, it also depends on the hardware and software used. We also can take some actions to improve the speed of your Internet connection.

1. You should connect to the Internet through an ethernet port, rather than a serial, parallel or USB port. If ethernet is not an option, it may be advisable to update your hardware. 
2. If you want to browse fast, you need to close other applications in case your RAM is maxed out. 
3. Use the fastest and user-friendly browser like chrome. Whichever browser you pick, make sure you don’t overload it with extensions or addons, those will just slow your browser down. 
4. Windows XP Professional reserves 20% of your bandwidth for services like updates or spyware checks. You can do the following to exploit this reserve.
• Type gpedit.msc in the Run window.
• Under Computer Configuration expand the Administrative Templates. 
• Go to Network and click the QoS Packet Scheduler tab. 
• Double-click on Limit Reservable Bandwidth and enable it. 
• Finally change the Bandwidth limit to 0% and click Apply. 
• Reboot your computer and enjoy. 
5. Use some programs that promise to increase your Internet speed such as Acebyte Utilities Free. It applies a number of changes to optimize your network settings and it’s user-friendly.

Tips on How to Speed up Internet

Tip 1: Surf when Internet traffic is low. Heaviest traffic is usually on weekends and evenings.

Tip 2: Use your cache effectively. “Cache” refers to storage space where your recently visited Web sites are saved. You may need to resize your cache allotment, or you may need to purge your cache periodically. Look through your browser’s menus for items named Cache, Temporary Internet files and so on.

Tip 3: Upgrade your modem. 56.6 kb/s modems are the fastest telephone modems available.

Tip 4: Consult with your Internet service provider to ensure that your modem is configured correctly.

Tip 5: Replace your telephone modem with a fast-access connection such as wave, ISDN, DSL, satellite, a cable modem and so on.

Tip 6: Control your bandwidth usage. There are many applications that will use your bandwidth in the background, like Windows Update, Windows Live Messenger, Skype, Real player, Adobe Reader updates, and other similar software. Most of these applications can be configured not to start on Windows log-on or to at least ask permission to connect to the Internet.

Tip 7: If your Internet connection speed dropped all of a sudden for no apparent reason, check your computer for malware and spyware. Malicious software often uses your Internet connection to send information to its developers.

Tip 8: If you are using wireless Internet connection, make sure that you are not sharing it with the whole neighborhood. So at the very least set up a WEP password to stop unauthorized users from using your Internet connection. Or if your hardware is compatible, set up WPA encryption.

Tip 9: Most people still use Internet Explorer, even though it’s not the fastest browser out there. If you are an active Internet user, it would be a good idea to check out different browsers, like Chrome, Firefox, and Opera to see which one works best for your connection type and your hardware configuration. For example, Chrome is particularly good for computers that are low on RAM, as it’s not as memory hungry as Firefox and IE.

Tip 10: If your computer is slow, it doesn’t matter how fast your Internet connection is – everything will be slow because you computer can’t cope. The answer to that is to keep your computer in good shape and perform regular maintenance like disk cleanup and defrag, registry repair, and other tasks like monitoring your startup items and optimizing Windows services. There are many tools that will help you do the job, from the Windows built-in ones to complete PC optimization suites like Acebyte Utilities Free that offers one-click maintenance and advanced tools to improve computer performance even more. It also has a tool called Internet Optimization that will help you optimize your Internet connection for maximum speed.