Good morning, Bigtop!
Until I ditched my dial-up for a fast and stable cable connection, I
was a regular user of dial-up optimization tools. Typically,
optimizing your dial-up settings requires mucking about in your
Windows Registry - something even Windows pros are loathe to do!
Rather than attempt to edit my Registry by hand, I used tools that
would do it for me with little fuss.
Dial-up optimization tools are secure - they tweak only the settings
which enable your machine to receive and transmit information, they
will not make you more susceptible to viruses or computer intruders.
Impact on the computer is about the same as installing any other
program - if it's properly installed and there are no conflicts, you
won't even know it's there. (Except for it providing the speed boost
you seek!)
To understand how dial-up optimizers work, Mike Sutherland, author of
MTU Speed, recomends reading the following articles:
Windows TCP/IP Registry Entries
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];Q158474
PMTUDiscovery on IPv4
http://www.graphcomp.com/info/rfc/rfc1191.html
These articles discuss the registry settings used for connection
optimization, and how they work. Reading through them, I'm sure
you'll understand why so many people opt for tools instead of manually
editing the Registry!
My favorite optimizer by far was MTU Speed:
MTU Speed Pro
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,5332,00.asp
Testing your tweaks is a snap, and MTU Speed can be adjusted
automatically or manually for fine tuning. The interface is very easy
to use, and Mr. Sutherland's documentation is well written, clear and
easy to follow.
PC World Magazine recommends TweakMaster:
TweakMaster
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,4168,00.asp
Like MTU Speed, TweakMaster offers a user friendly interface, as well
as a step by step walkthrough when you first run the program.
Additionally at PC World is iSpeed, suitable for all flavors of
Windows. iSpeed resets the relevant Registry entries, then offers a
benchmarking utility to allow you to compare your pre- and post-tweak
performance.
iSpeed
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,6496,00.asp
Throttle, a popular download featured at ZDnet, promises a better
connection, with no headaches:
"Throttle modifies your modem to increase Internet speed. No
modifications to your hardware are made and all adjustments and
settings are done in an easy to use interface that a child could use."
Throttle
http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2155-10156563.html?tag=lst-0-12
Also featured at ZDnet, and highly recommended by users is
.NETSpeedBoost. In addition to a friendly interface and fine-tuning
ability, .NETSpeedBoost also offers the ability to roll back your
settings to their defaults if you mis-tweak or if the recommended
tweaks have no effect:
.NETSpeedBoost
http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2155-10152292.html?tag=lst-0-19
Of course, before running *any* of these programs, be certain to
backup your Registry! Accidents happen, even to the pros! PC
Computer Notes And Online Tutorials has a comprehensive guide to
backing up your registry:
Backing Up the Registry
http://www.pccomputernotes.com/registry/backupregistry.htm
The article discusses the Registry in depth for all versions of
Windows before explaining backup procedure in detail, and is a
worthwhile resource.
I hope this is helpful to you! If any part of my answer has been
unclear, please don't hesitate to ask for clarification. I'll be glad
to assist you further!
Good luck, and speedy surfing!
--Missy |
Clarification of Answer by
missy-ga
on
24 Oct 2002 12:29 PDT
Hi Bigtop,
No, I've not used Propel. I've had a look at their page, and it
doesn't seem to be much different from the utilities I've listed for
you, except that Propel is frightfully expensive - $80 *per year*, as
opposed to $25 for a one time download.
"Registry settings" refers to your Windows Registry - the database in
all Windows operating systems which stores your device and system
configurations, setup information and user preferences. The Registry
is broken down into "Keys", which are individual bits of information
for each bit of hardware and software for your machine. These "keys"
tell your computer how to behave.
Optimizing tools change the values of the "keys" for MTU (Maximum
Transmission Unit - the amount of data you can send), RWIN (TCP
Receive Window - the amount of data you can receive), among others.
"Backing up your registry" refers to just that - creating a backup
copy of your current Registry. The link I provided in the Answer
details how to do this - you should always back up your Registry
before using a program designed to change certain Registry settings,
so that if something goes wrong, you can set your computer right back
to the way it was *before* you used the program.
"Interface" refers to the part of the software you see - in the case
of MTU Speed, you'll see a small grey window with sliders that allow
you to choose (tweak) your "MTU" and "RWIN" settings. That's your
interface.
After changing the settings and restarting your computer, you can test
to see if those have increased your speed or if you need to try a
different setting. That's testing your tweaks - checking your new
settings.
Hope this helps!
--Missy
|
