Slow connection

[MigLancer]

I cannot figure why my internet connection dropped to around 28000 - 36000 bps.
There aren't any physical changes to the phone line (like new phones or answering machines attached to the line).
I downloaded the latest drivers, configured the COM ports to work at the highest speed and followed some instructions found on the www.tweak3D.net (http://www.tweak3D.net) site.
My modem is a USRobotic Sportster 56K EXT that has been flashed to V90 some time ago. It now has the name US Robotics Voice EXT 56K.
The system runs on Win98 - P2 400, 256Mb, 16MbVoodoo3-2000.
I read some info about how to tweak the modem, but couldn't find anything about slow initial connection speed. Also, it is almost impossible to download updates and so on as the download speeds are under 1kbps.
Does anybody have any ideas or can point me in the right direction?
Thanks



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MigLancer

[Omletteboy]

This problem would seem to stem from your phone company. You phone line is not clean thus quite a bit of degradation in your signal. Get your phone line tested by your isp provider.

You can dl updates under speeds of 1kps but it would take a long long time....

[MigLancer]

I don't think that the phone line has anything to do with it as I can connect, using the same modem and a Win 95 laptop, to speeds up to 44000bps.
Thanks for answering though.
Cheers

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MigLancer

[glc]

Maybe your ISP changed their terminal equipment. Your laptop modem doesn't have the same chipset as your USR external, does it? My USR doesn't connect worth a darn to my ISP whereas an old Flex-only Hayes works like a champ.

[MigLancer]

I connect using the same modem - the only difference between the PC's ,apart from hardware(bar modem), is that one runs win95 and the other win 98. The problem appeard after I reformatted the HD on the win98 machine. After a few sessions whn I got the appropriate connection, the initial connection speed dropped dramatically. Everything I tried failed - I cannot understand why this happens.
Please help.
Cheers

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MigLancer

[jmatt]

This is a copy from a site , which is now under repair . Might be your problem .
Win 98 Bug with Generic VxD Drivers
Does your system sometimes hang-up, freeze or crash unexpectedly? Is it slow?
Mouse move erratically? You can make your system more stable and optimal by using
the correct Win 98 VxD drivers.
A VxD (Virtual Device Driver) is a special type of Windows driver that allows
Windows to perform functions that run at the most privileged CPU mode and allow
low-level interaction with the hardware and internal Windows functions. Win 95/98's
VMM32.VXD (32 bit Virtual memory manager device) is the VxD file that provides
the primary functions (kernel) in Windows. VxDs can conflict and lock up the system.
And unfortunately, Windows does not install all the correct drivers! VMM32.VXD is
the generic driver that is installed to basically support almost all devices. There are
also device specific drivers in Windows. We want those drivers...
First, lets check your current drivers. Click "Start", go to "Settings", and choose
"Control Panel". Double click "System", and choose the "Device Manager" tab. Now
choose a device.
Start with "System devices". Highlight "System board" and click "Properties". Choose
the "Driver" tab and push "Driver File Details".
Look in the white box it will look like this:
C:\Windows\System\vmm32.vxd (configmg.vxd).
This means that you are missing the correct file in the parenthesis and are currently
using the generic driver. You can then try modem, display adapter, etc. It will list the
missing files.
The 7 system drivers needed are: vcomm.vxd (communications driver), vdd.vxd
(video drive device), vflatd.vxd (video flat-frame buffer virtual device), vdmad.vxd
(DMA controller driver), vmouse.vxd (mouse driver) , configmg.vxd (configuration
manager virtual device for the motherboard), and ntkern.vxd (kernel driver which is
used for the universal host controller).
All the above needed files are in the CAB files. Win98_47 contains the configmg.vxd
driver, the other 6 are in Win98_48. (The CAB files are labeled Win98_CAB47 and
Win98_CAB48 in Windows 98 first edition.)
Steps

Locate the Win98_47 and Win98_48 CAB files.
The default location is: C:\Windows\options\cabs. However, some OEMs do not
install them on your drive because of the space consumed.
Extract vcomm.vxd, vdd.vxd, vflatd.vxd, vdmad.vxd, vmouse.vxd, configmg.vxd, and
ntkern.vxd to \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
Close Windows
Reboot
Use the above sequence to check the same device, it should now be:
C:\Windows\System\configmg.vxd. And no more instances of vmm32.vxd!
If you know of a tip or tool, e-mail: feedback@easttexaschat.com.

[jmatt]

Here is a patch for the above problem . http://users.megapathdsl.net/~revolution/vxdfix.html