nathancorp

Distinguished
Oct 15, 2014
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Hello everyone,

I'm having issues with uploading anything and my basic upload speed is dead, not slow, but dead. I bought a new PC and am connected via Ethernet at this time, seems to be a Windows 10 related issue. I recently installed a VPN service which is very reputed (EXPRESS VPN). Now, my upload speed is dead and almost at Zero (I cant even attach PDFs or ZIPs to emails).

However, the point to note is when i connect to the VPN, i can upload as normal. Regardless of which server location i connect to.

Things ive done and tried:

  1. I have disabled both Norton and Windows firewalls and also uninstalled the VPN device and Norton to be sure but still no dice.
  2. I restarted my computer
  3. I have all the latest drivers
  4. Windows 10 Professional is up to date
  5. I connected Ethernet via the same router and cable to an alternate computer running Windows 7, that works fine, which is what leads me to believe its a Windows 10 issue.
  6. If it were a hardware issue, connecting to the VPN wouldn't solve the issue 100%, but moment i connect to VPN, it works 100% fine.
  7. All my Internet settings are on automatic so IPV4 and IP settings are all set to automatic.
I am very frustrated right now due to not being able to work without connecting to a VPN so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

EDIT: I've now noticed certain pages not opening without VPN too, some sites wont load. Very strange, and they'll load right away when connected to VPN.
 
Last edited:
Solution
At some point you are just going to have to give up and reinstall windows I suspect. It has options that will preserve your files but you will still have to reinstall some software.

It is most likely the vpn is still partially installed. They do all kinds of tricky stuff to intercept the traffic. Expressvpn is one of the more quality ones but they could have a bug. You might find some virtual adapters that still exist. Deleting those many times fixes vpn issues.

I was evaluating vpn providers and installed and uninstalled a number of them. I still don't know if I accidentally installed 2 or if one did not uninstall properly. I ended up reloading windows and now only run vpn on routers since it is purely configurations no...
At some point you are just going to have to give up and reinstall windows I suspect. It has options that will preserve your files but you will still have to reinstall some software.

It is most likely the vpn is still partially installed. They do all kinds of tricky stuff to intercept the traffic. Expressvpn is one of the more quality ones but they could have a bug. You might find some virtual adapters that still exist. Deleting those many times fixes vpn issues.

I was evaluating vpn providers and installed and uninstalled a number of them. I still don't know if I accidentally installed 2 or if one did not uninstall properly. I ended up reloading windows and now only run vpn on routers since it is purely configurations no software to load.
 
Solution