Very often, people want to know if they can increase the speed of the Internet while surfing the net. It makes sense to want to find out this if the PC just doesn’t seem to be as fast as it used to when online. Of course, what we are talking about here is a computer that has a broadband connection. So what happens when a broadband connection starts to act like a dial-up? In this article, we will answer this question.

There are things like software programs, even free programs that will test the speed of your broadband connection. The problem with these programs is; If your computer’s internal components or operating system are not performing to their full potential, the broadband speed tester will give you inaccurate results. Also, I have been burned too many times by free programs that have landed on my computer with spyware attached. So, I don’t use them anymore.

Call your provider

I have concluded that if you suspect that your Internet service has become slower than it was before, call the cable company that provides your broadband service. Very quickly, they can tell you exactly what your speed is and even what it used to be. Right over the phone, they will inform you if your service is up to date with the speed that they are contractually obligated to provide. If there is a problem, many times they will fix it before you hang up the phone. I know there are many people who are hesitant to deal with their cable provider over the phone, however, the way I see it, it is easier than dealing with spyware.

If your cable connection works, the problem is obviously somewhere inside your computer. I’d bet dollars on donuts; the problem would be in the realm of the Windows registry. I’d also bet, more dollars for fewer donuts, cleaning the registry with a registry cleaner will fix the problem. In fact, I have seen this to be the case many times.

But everything else is fine

It is possible that, even with Windows problems, the computer can quickly boot up, shut down as it should, and perform functions like Word or Paint perfectly, but still not surf the web even at half the speed it used to. The reason this can happen is because the registry corruption is targeting software in the Winsock area of ​​your operating system. Winsock is the part of your operating system that directs the flow of information to and from your broadband connection.

In extreme cases, I even had to rebuild the Winsock when the problem got so bad that the computer couldn’t even establish an online connection. This is weird, and if the computer just runs slowly online, but establishes a connection, I wouldn’t worry about it. Just run a registry cleaner and everything will probably be back to order in a few minutes.