Downloading problem - kindly help me out, ILX nerds?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Pardon my staggering ignorance, but I require help with this. I've been trrying to download mp3, wmv, mpeg and wav files for the past few days, and the same thing keeps happening - downloading will start, then the transfer rate begins to dip lower and lower by the second, until eventually it says "Download Complete" even though it isn't even a fifth complete.

I've done Disk Cleanup and defragged. My connection is the same as it has always been and I've never had this problem before. Please don't ask me about the specs for my computer or anything, I'm very ignorant about that sorta thing, but I'm on a Dell laptop, if that means anything.

― Sunny Crockpot (Roger Fidelity), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:02 (eighteen years ago)

first things first. where are you downloading from?

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:09 (eighteen years ago)

A few sources - myspace, yousendit, and, most recently, the excepter site.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:10 (eighteen years ago)

Also, my slsk que has been moving at a snail's pace all day, with lots of FAILEDs. Is this the beginning of the end?

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:11 (eighteen years ago)

Do you have anti spyware/viruss software?

Do you have a firewall and is it on? It needs to be.

― Bunyip (Bunyip), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:14 (eighteen years ago)

OK, just turned the firewall on. It was off for some reason. You think that'd make this happen though?

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:22 (eighteen years ago)

no. but at least now you're a bit safer :)

i had a similar-ish problem here a couple of years back (powerbook, netgear router); upgrading the router firmware fixed everything. i think the problem lies with your connection rather than your PC; however, that's based entirely on personal experience.

assuming you're using a router: upgrade the firmware. how? depends on what kind of router it is. but it's not difficult. it'll be a small file you download from the company's website and install.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:26 (eighteen years ago)

Actually not having the firewall can be a huuuge problem. It was for me.

― Bunyip (Bunyip), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:28 (eighteen years ago)

oh! i stand corrected. hopefully.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 15 September 2006 22:29 (eighteen years ago)

Wow, this is pretty frustrating. I've now run the Macafee virus scanner thing, removed 'rarely' used programs, put up the firewall, and deleted over half my music files, and same problem. Maybe you guys are right about it being a connection problem, and not a PC problem. I don't have a router or anything, I'm what you call a 'sharker,' I shark onto local wireless connections. For the record, I'd HAPPILY pay for a legit internet connection, but the only thing in my area is a package deal that requires me to get a phone and cable as well, neither of which I want or need.

― Dateline Sticks it's Corportate Dick into the Ass of Free Trade Yet Again (Roger, Friday, 15 September 2006 23:27 (eighteen years ago)

life's a bitch. live by someone else's connection, die by someone else's connection. maybe you should ask your neighbours to upgrade their routers' firmware ;)

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 16 September 2006 00:49 (eighteen years ago)

I'm what you call a 'sharker'

― Confounded (Confounded), Saturday, 16 September 2006 00:52 (eighteen years ago)

Or get into your neighbors' router and update the firmware yourself. Anyone dumb enough to leave their wireless network unsecured is probably the kind of person who'd keep the default network name (linksys, Airport Network xxxxx, Belkin, etc). Google the default router address for that brand of router, go to it and most likely there won't be a password. Update away.

― adam (adam), Saturday, 16 September 2006 01:01 (eighteen years ago)

Not that I recommend all this cloak and dagger stuff. My life has been much easier since I sucked it up and got my own connection.

― adam (adam), Saturday, 16 September 2006 01:01 (eighteen years ago)

and most likely there won't be a password

or the password and login name (which you certainly need for a netgear box) will be left at the default, which you can usually find on the "help" pages of said router's manufacturer.

nb: grimly industries inc does not condone bandwidth theft etc :)

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 16 September 2006 09:04 (eighteen years ago)

username: admin
password: admin

― a name means a lot just by itself (lfam), Saturday, 16 September 2006 13:41 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.