How to Improve the Download Speed of Vista
One of the most important aspects of using the Internet is the ability to download data. Data downloading is used for everything from loading a simple web page to streaming a video on Youtube or saving a new program from the Internet to your hard disk. The faster your computer downloads, the more efficiently you will be able to carry out tasks on the Internet, which is especially important when you try to save large amounts of data to your computer. There are several steps Windows Vista users can take to attempt to improve downloading speed.
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Instructions
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Update your network adapter's drivers. To do this click "Start," right-click "Computer," select "Manage," click "Device Manager," click "Network Adapters," right-click on your network adapter, select "Update Driver Software..." and choose "Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software." Windows will search for and install new drivers. You can also try downloading and installing drivers from the website of the manufacturer of the network adapter.
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Turn off Windows Firewall. In some cases the Windows Firewall utility that is built into Vista can compromise download speeds. To turn of Firewall click "Start," "Control Panel," "Windows Firewall," "Change Settings," select "Off (Not Recommended)" and then click "Apply." You can turn the Firewall back on by going back to the menu and selecting "On (Recommended)."
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Run a fully-updated antivirus program whenever you use the Internet with Vista. Windows operating systems are widely used and are therefore the focus of many computer viruses and other malware. Failing to run an antivirus program while using the Internet may interfere with web browsing and hamper download speed.
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Try a different web browser. The web browser you use can have a significant impact on how fast pages download. The default browser on Windows Vista is Internet Explorer, but other browsers such as Firefox, Chrome and Opera may function more efficiently.
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Eliminate other network traffic. If you use your computer on a network and there are other people using the Internet connection to download files, it will use up some of the connection's bandwidth. For the best possible download speeds you should make sure no one else on your network is downloading files or using the Internet.
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Tips & Warnings
* Download speed is typically limited by the speed of your Internet connection and the performance of your network hardware, browser, or other download software you use.
* You can monitor your networking speed by holding down "control," "alt," and "delete" at the same time and then clicking the "networking" tab of the task manager.
* If you are already downloading at speeds approaching the maximum connection speed allowed by your Internet service provider, you may need to upgrade your Internet service to increase your download speed.
References
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