New system getting substantially slower download speeds

rael220 · 10-11-2007, 03:15 AM

Hello!
I bought a new laptop (Dell Inspiron 1501) and connected to my modem via my older desktop/router without any problems. My internet connection is a 10mbs service, and initially both systems were hitting those speeds. Within about a day the new laptop would only hit about 3mbs while the older desktop stayed consistent at 10mbs. Assuming the problem was the router, I tried some suggested tweaks without any change. Next I disabled my wireless connection and connected the new laptop directly to the modem and still got 3mbs. I restored the new laptop to factory settings and tried disabling my anti-virus/firewall, still no change. The only other thing I can think of is a hardware problem, but I'm really just guessing. I find it suspicious that a brand new system could have such an abrupt change in download capacity within a day or two of opening up the box.

I am not particularly good with this kind of stuff, and the above troubleshooting was done with the help of a good friend who is a installer for my cable company. We are both out of ideas, any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

DellCA · 10-17-2007, 03:41 PM

If you are still having a problem with the connection speed on the Inspiron 1501, I would recommend trying it on another network (friends house, coffee shop with wireless, etc) to see if you have the same problem there or not. Doing this will rule out whether your internet connection (or router) is the problem.

Another option that would work if the problem is just a confused configuration on the system, is to uninstall and reinstall the network card(s) to see if that improves things. Since you are getting a connection, but it is only 3Mbps, then chances are the hardware itself is fine, and it is a configuration or software problem. You can download the latest driver (on any computer) for the wireless and network card from the Dell support website (http://support.dell.com/support/down...=us&l=en&s=gen). Just select your system model and then look in the network section for the drivers (Broadcom 440x for wired, and Dell Wireless WLAN card for wireless).

If that doesn't fix it I'll be happy to see what else I can do for you.

Larry
Dell Customer Advocate

10-11-2007, 03:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
rael220 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1 OS: winXP sp2	New system getting substantially slower download speeds Hello! I bought a new laptop (Dell Inspiron 1501) and connected to my modem via my older desktop/router without any problems. My internet connection is a 10mbs service, and initially both systems were hitting those speeds. Within about a day the new laptop would only hit about 3mbs while the older desktop stayed consistent at 10mbs. Assuming the problem was the router, I tried some suggested tweaks without any change. Next I disabled my wireless connection and connected the new laptop directly to the modem and still got 3mbs. I restored the new laptop to factory settings and tried disabling my anti-virus/firewall, still no change. The only other thing I can think of is a hardware problem, but I'm really just guessing. I find it suspicious that a brand new system could have such an abrupt change in download capacity within a day or two of opening up the box. I am not particularly good with this kind of stuff, and the above troubleshooting was done with the help of a good friend who is a installer for my cable company. We are both out of ideas, any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Last edited by rael220 : 10-11-2007 at 03:33 AM.

10-17-2007, 03:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
DellCA Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 89 OS: XP	Re: New system getting substantially slower download speeds If you are still having a problem with the connection speed on the Inspiron 1501, I would recommend trying it on another network (friends house, coffee shop with wireless, etc) to see if you have the same problem there or not. Doing this will rule out whether your internet connection (or router) is the problem. Another option that would work if the problem is just a confused configuration on the system, is to uninstall and reinstall the network card(s) to see if that improves things. Since you are getting a connection, but it is only 3Mbps, then chances are the hardware itself is fine, and it is a configuration or software problem. You can download the latest driver (on any computer) for the wireless and network card from the Dell support website (http://support.dell.com/support/down...=us&l=en&s=gen). Just select your system model and then look in the network section for the drivers (Broadcom 440x for wired, and Dell Wireless WLAN card for wireless). If that doesn't fix it I'll be happy to see what else I can do for you. Larry Dell Customer Advocate __________________ Dell Customer Advocate