[SOLVED] Very slow internet on only one computer

[emh]

So my wife's computer has always had a really bad internet connection. Which we chalked up to it being an inexpensive, piece of crap.

Anyway, our internet service provider recently upgraded our connection to 50 MB. So, out of curiosity, I decided to run speed tests on our computers.

Mine received 40+ MB using Wi-Fi.

But my wife's computer only received about 10 MB using an ethernet connection.

So seems like there's something going on besides the quality of my wife's computer. I read that AMD Quick Stream can cause problems with internet connections. My wife's computer does have an AMD processor but I don't see that program installed anywhere on her computer.

Any other ideas on what might be causing this?

Thanks!

 

[Ralston18]

Is her computer's ethernet connection direct to the router or does the connection go through wall jacks, a switch, power line adapters, an access point?

Have you tried another known working (at speed) Ethernet cable?

What make and model network adapter is installed on her computer?

Have you tried updating her computer's network adapter's drivers?

Doublecheck that only one network adapter (wired with respect to her computer) is enabled. Not both wired and wireless.

Windows 10? Try running the built in network troubleshooters. They may find and fix something.

You can get there by right-clicking the small network icon usually found in the lower right screen corner. "Network Internet access" should appear if you hover the mouse cursor on the icon.

Take a look at the current network adapter configuration settings. Speed and Duplex are often misconfigured.

Use Task Manager or Resource Monitor (one or the other - not both at the same time) to observe her computer's performance. Pay close attention to network related parameters.

 

[emh]

Thanks appreciate the detailed response. Here are my responses, point-by-point:

Ethernet connection directly to the router.

Only have one ethernet cable. But I doubt the cable is the problem since her wi-fi connection is worse (7-8 MB).

Looks like the network adaptor is Qualcomm Atheros AR8172/8176/8178. Her computer is in Spanish so I sometimes have problems finding things.

I'll look into updating the network adaptor tomorrow.

Okay, will do.

She has Windows 8.1. I wasn't clear on your response after asking if she has Windows 10. Was all the rest related to Windows 10?

Thanks again!

 

[Ralston18]

Apologies for the delayed response - had to go out of town.

The cable could be the problem. Wi-fi is inherently slower than wired. And a flawed ethernet cable will make any network problematic. Communications between devices may get delayed, corrupted, or not even completed.

She should have Task Manager in 8.1.

Also Reliability History but appears as Reliability Monitor

As for troubleshooters I was referring to Windows 10.

With Windows 8.1 here is a link that may get you started:

https://www.online-tech-tips.com/windows-8/troubleshoot-problems-windows-8-1/

You can find google for other similar links. Do be very careful about any links that offer downloads that the website claims will fix things. Some of those sites are likely to show up no matter what problem you are searching on.

But some sites do at least provide some general guidance about how to look for and/or identify a problem.