Windows 8.1 Internet Speed Issue

[NathanL]

Alright, so ever since I updated my computer to windows 8.1, the internet has gone down to 30kb's a second rather than the usual 1-3 MB's a second. I have tried a few methods from different forums such as changing my dns, flushing it, renewing my ip, I even called Bigpond support which didn't help either (No, my modem is not a technicolour it is a netgear 😛). I also don't want to go through the hassle of reinstalling windows 8. Is there anything I can do to fix my internet speed?

My internet adapter is a Qualcomm Atheros AR8161 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (NDIS 6.30)

 

[das_stig]

What does speedtest.net say about your connection?

I suspect that if all ok, the Atheros drivers are buggy,. is WMM enabled within its options to get best performance.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Go get the drivers straight from Qualcomm's site.

 

[NathanL]

I know it's in the AR816X QCA817X Family Drivers section, but which one do I pick? (sorry, I'm not the best with this kind of stuff.)

http://www.atheros.com/corporate/content.php?nav1=146

 

[Someone Somewhere]

The Windows WHQL one.

 

[NathanL]

I have installed it but it is still running really slow, is there anything else to try?

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Check that the DNS servers you have set are correct for your ISP (I don't see why they would be changed, but this is Windows).

Does it happen on all sites, or just some?

If you do a transfer to or from another computer on the same network, what's that like?

 

[NathanL]

Gimme a little bit of time, I need to plug in my old computer and see how the internet works on that one.

 

[NathanL]

So I plugged in the other computer, and it can barely load pages either, I have set the DNS to the default one in my area but to no avail. As for the internet speed on different things, it is slow all around, the only thing it can load things slightly faster on is my mobile which I am typing from now.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Sounds like your modem or router, or a problem with your ISP.

Does your ISP cap your speeds when you go over your bandwidth allowance?

 

[NathanL]

My internet is unlimited, I called them yesterday and they said my internet speed was fine and that it was something wrong with windows 8.1

 

[Someone Somewhere]

That's clearly not the case, given you've got a second computer doing the same thing that's not running 8.1.

Call them back and tell them that.

 

[NathanL]

Turns out that even though I have unlimited internet, I reached a limit on it which slows it down. I have to wait five days until it resets back to normal :/ Thankyou for your help anyway!

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Interesting definition of 'unlimited'. Here, we'd call that capped. Most ISPs give you the choice between being charged for extra data and being throttled if you go over the cap.

 

[Fred Anderson]

MEanwhile, you can try different tweaks to at least optimize your system to run a bit better on a slower internet speed... For that, i would recon you to

1 - Disable Bandwidth Reserves
2 - Reset WinSock
3 - Disable Unnecessary Services
4 - Drain out DNS Cache

a quick search through google returns the following link mentioning how to perform these taks to optimize your internet speed. Hope it Helps

http://www.registryrecycler.com/blog/2013/06/how-to-speed-up-your-internet-in-windows-8/

 

[tarunkumar2]

also check for startup services , you may find some internet based updater programs for ex-google updater, adobe updater, which would be consuming some bandwidth, though they have less impact, but still you can disable them