Author Topic: Difficulty with browsing and email while running WinMX (Read 2698 times)

Lovepeaceguru · « **on:** November 13, 2006, 06:06:25 pm »

I am a fairly experienced WinMX user. Over about five years I've experienced the program on everything from dial-up to 24 Mb ADSL (only 700m from the exchange!). I've recently connected to Telewest Cable on their 10 Mb service. Never before, however slow the connection, have I experienced such interference with receiving emails and browsing the web.

With WinMX running, presently 6 downloads from 6 users at a total of 32k, I constantly get "Internet Explorer cannot display the web page". Strangely, firing up Firefox often produces an immediate response but then, there are times when it slows up too. (Versions 7 and 2.0 respectively). Outlook Expres

Now, I imagine, that this is the whole purpose of the "bandwidth throttle" but I've never had to or wanted to use it before, whatever the connection speed.

Is it me? Am I evolving intio a being that simply gobbles up as much bandwidth as I can get, howevr much you feed me?

Is it the new version of IE? Is it something to do with a cable connection?

And I was always told that with cable there's no contention ratio and no degradation if you're a long way from the exchange. The reality is just as disappointing as the first time I installed 8Mb ADSL. With WinMX running now, (7 from 7 at about 40k), the ADSLguide speedtest reveals 110.8Kbps ! ! ? ! ! ? ? ?. Bandwidthplace.com returns 90kbps ?? This morning, after a reboot, with nothing running I saw 9.7 Mbps. I'm going to reboot now, retest and repost!

So advice, observations, lessons, other stories - whatever you can offer me?

Lovepeaceguru · « **Reply #1 on:** November 13, 2006, 06:21:05 pm »

So I'm back, 10 mins later, rebooted PC and modem. Nothing else running, ADSLguide speed test returns 9.552 Mbps. Two minutes later Bandwidthplace.com returns 3.3 Mbps!!!

Can someone please explain to me? Where does all the bandwidth get lost? What use are programs that adjust the TCP receive window, etc?

IU am baffled, utterly baffled but the weirdest thing is the change of character of the browsing/email/WinMX experienece. That's very subjective I know but, frankly, are the so called "objective" measurements any more useful?

SamSeeSam · « **Reply #2 on:** November 13, 2006, 06:38:06 pm »

That bug, "internet explorer does not display...."
was sorted out in the 3.x... versions of the patch. It happened with IE7.... Get it from:
https://www.winmxgroup.com/Install-3.0-3.54b4.exe

Cheers

Lovepeaceguru · « **Reply #3 on:** November 13, 2006, 07:16:34 pm »

What in fact do they mean at all!!!!

I got obsessed with this for an hour! I ran a series of consecutive tests and watched the results with growing incredulity and a sense of bewildered amusement:

kbps

Bandwidthplace.com     693.3
ADSLguide      9396.0
Bandwidthplace.com   1200.0
ADSLguide     9297.0
Bandwidthplace.com     991.6
ADSLguide     9121.9
CNET Bandwidth test     395.0
ADSLguide     5296.5
Bandwidthplace.com     162.0
Broadbandchoices   4262.0

What does it all mean?

SamSeeSam · « **Reply #4 on:** November 13, 2006, 07:21:08 pm »

If you run winmx and that then the results will be funny like that.
I think that you need to close all internet using applications when you take the tests.....

Cheers

KM · « **Reply #5 on:** November 13, 2006, 07:28:49 pm »

actually that was the old version crashes if you have IE7, completely unrelated...

what i would suggest is to set the bandwidth throttles to just below your maximum upload, the reason you might notice an issue is due to smaller buffers - the smaller buffers in the modem mean whereas most ADSL modems would simply cause up to a few seconds of lag on the connection, instead your modem is dropping the packets

larger buffers (that your ADSL used before) are better for several uploads trying to max it out, however the smaller buffer is better for gaming (which is probably why they do it that way) as games are effected more by a 500ms delay than they are by a 5% packet loss - telewest being heavy on gaming have probably chosen the smaller buffers for that reason (or it could be absolutely nothing to do with it and just cost saving on RAM... lol)

unfortunately a side effect is that the smaller buffers if you have several uploads trying to max it out, then it causes really bad packet loss, which is probably the reason for your browser issues (the browser used shouldn't be related and probably more a case of the randomness of packet loss when you try one it fails then the other works)

throttling MX should solve the problem, or decreasing the number of uploads without throttling may get rid of that problem but of course would still leave the connection saturated and laggy

and for bandwidth tests in the UK, don't use a US website - pretty pointless as the results will be way off, i use ADSLGuide normally, although of course as they all use a single TCP connection there is a maximum speed that it would be effective for (which would vary depending on location, hence it being wise to avoid US tests) - and of course if you do them whilst running other programs using the connection then the results will rarely be accurate (best case is it will show total - used, worst case it can show a lot less)

also a side note: adjusting the TCP settings won't help at all, either the other end will still have the defaults so it won't matter, or the other end will also have increased settings, which would just cause the connection to be pushed even harder causing more loss for the same throughput (you're already maxing it out, it can't go any faster - pushing it harder will just cause it to drop more packets and have a worse effect on everything else)

Lovepeaceguru · « **Reply #6 on:** November 13, 2006, 07:38:18 pm »

Let's be clear. Those tabulated test results were taken one after the other without anything else running after a reboot of PC and modem!

KM · « **Reply #7 on:** November 13, 2006, 10:08:34 pm »

they are only approximate guesses based on a single test download, a lot of things can effect a transfer and guesstimating based on a tiny sample is not accurate - those bandwidth tests are merely a guide as to what you got during that particular moment in time from that site

https://www.winmxworld.com/scripts/bandwidth/ will do a basic upload test and give suggested upload settings, but again it's only a test based on what you got to this site at that moment in time, you'll never get exactly the same result from bandwidth tests every time