Reader Question: Slow downloads problem

Q: Hello, my normal internet speed is 50kb/s. But Now when I download programs, It’s always very slow from 3kb/s- 9kb/s. How can I fix this problem?

~ Mitchell 

A: Mitchell,
I have to assume you really do mean to use a little “b” (“bits”; a “B” is “bytes”) which tells me that you are on a dial-up Internet connection.
I also have to assume you only get this slow down when actually downloading files.

Okay. My answer is two parts.
1) If it is at all possible, get off of dial-up. Dial-up technology was fine for the era when it was used (1985-1998) – teletype, e-mail, and text-only websites. Look to http://www.broadbandreports.com/search to find a ‘high speed’ (aka “Broadband”) provider in your area. Or, maybe, look at satellite. (Frankly, I would not use dial-up, except to send an SOS.) 3kbps, even 3KBps, is ridiculously slow… slow to the point of un-usability.
2) There are two factors which determine speed: your ability to receive, and the server’s ability to send. File servers are (almost) always set to use a low speed.. “low” meaning 300KB’s or so (800 x’s faster than your getting) as well as use a different protocol (FTP). If upgrading your service is simply not doable, for some reason, about the only thing you can do is use a download manager program to break up the file into several parts, and establish multiple ‘requests’ to download those parts simultaneously. (Firefox does this automatically) I have not used a download manager in over a decade, so I am unfamiliar with the current crop, and don’t have any personal recommendation, but CNet Editors give this one, Internet Download Manager, five stars.

by techpaul

Related: This article has some good tips for dial-up users: Browse the Web Faster on a Slow Internet Connection

To see what your bits-per-second are, click here, http://www.speedtest.net, and then click “Begin test”.

Quote of the week: “The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”

Reading reco: NEW Online Photo Sharing Service that is Drag and Drop Easy

“There are numerous ways to post and share photos (or pictures) on the internet; however, the processes  to share your photos can be quite confusing.

If you are looking for an online service that makes photo sharing fast, fun and easy, then take a look at.. (more)”

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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A Guide For Cyber Monday Sales

I hope you all had a great weekend. Well, I may as well “go with the flow” and write about how everybody is expected to shop shop shop this so-called “cyber Monday” (a reference to how you are not working, there at work, today, but just pretending to while you surf for bargains online).

I will say, again, be careful of online scams, and look for the “s” (https://) on shopping cart pages, and then point you to some geeky savings. Remember, try to go to the website directly — criminals are ‘poisoning’ search results, so you’ll get directed to their site, and get infected with a virus.

* Genie-soft, makers of the Timeline backup program (see my review here) are offering a 50% off deal here.

* Amazon has special discounts on all categories of items (not just ‘tech’). Their over-view page is here.

* TigerDirect’s “Pink Friday Sale” (named that as they will be donating a minimum of $100,000 to a breast cancer charity) is still available. Check out their discount items here.

* Buy.com says some items are discounted up to 83%.. but it is “while supplies last”, so.. don’t dawdle, click here.

Sometimes, it’s best to cut out the middleman.
* Hewlett-Packard has some deals (includes free shipping) here.
* Dell, for one day only, has savings of up to 80% on select products, here.
* Apple is offering savings on accessories (ahem.. accessories?) here.

Don’t forget Office Depot. I know it isn’t the first place you think of, but sometimes I think it should be. See their “while supplies last” deals here.

There.

That ought to help you be non-productive for a while. Have fun browsing!

Tip of the day: If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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I Made Over $100 Billion Yesterday.

In A Few Hours.

In My Spare Time.

I know that those of you who are familiar with my writings here at Tech – for Everyone have read that title, and are (probably) expecting me to post some scam emails.. Online Lottery Winner!!!, etc.. thinking that I ‘made’ my billions that way

Or maybe I’ll post samples of the ever popular 419 “Nigerian” scams “Dear Beloved One”, “Private and Confidential”, etc.. As I have – in the past – with my Once Again It’s Time To Play Let’s Count The Typos! game.

But no. Not today. I was not being facetious. I really did win over $102 billion dollars.

See?

Three five-spots put me over the top. (The trick is: don't click on "bet it all" until you have $1,000,000 in the bank. Ha!)

What happened was, I got tired of chess and spider solitaire, and decided to dust off an old fave of mine — video poker. It had been a long time.. and I had forgotten how addicting this timewaster can be. (This game is ancient.. dating back to 2003, or so. But it does work on Vista, and most likely. Win 7.)(Yes folks. 2003 is “ancient” in tech.)

From CNet Editors’ Review:

“This video-poker simulation game earns points on several fronts. First off, Draw Poker Gold Edition is tiny and completely free, two big pluses we always appreciate. The game is not graphically intense, but it gets the point across just fine and looks almost identical to the video-poker machines you find in casinos.“

If you enjoy playing video-poker machines but don’t like feeding them all those quarters, this game is for you. You can download it from CNet, here.

[note: Yes, I did post a Sunday Beauty this week. It’s below. (or, click here,Sunday Beauty XIX.)]

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Sunday Beauty XIX

This photo was taken yesterday in Killin, Scotland.

Photo by nz_willowherb, courtesy of Flickr Commons. Click on image to see more by this artist.

Geek Gifts 2010 | Other Reco’s | It’s Saturday Again

Tech Republic has published their 2010 Gifts For Geeks Guide, which is a download-able PDF for members (available here). Seeing as how the percentage of you who might be geeks (or.. shopping for geeks) yet not be Tech Republic members might be kinda .. um, HUGE, I have provided a synopsis…

۰ The Apple iPad
۰ Alienware M11x gaming notebook
۰ Parrot AR.Drone Wi-Fi quadricopter
۰ LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0
۰ Roku XDS streaming media player
۰ VIZIO M470NV 47-Inch 1080p LED LCD HDTV
۰ Amazon Kindle Graphite 3G + Wi-Fi 2010
۰ Microsoft Kinect sensor for Xbox 360
۰ Cyborg R.A.T. 7 gaming mouse
۰ Personal Soundtrack Shirt (seen on The Big Bang Theory)

* Shopping reco: That last is found in the ThinkGeek Holiday Gift Center, which may not be a Black Friday/Cyber Monday bargain seeker’s mecca, but there sure are some .. um, interesting things there!

* Shopping Advice reco: Though there’s no doubt that the iPad is this year’s “hot item”, and top’s Tech Republic’s list, but I would advise you to read and consider these two articles:
۰ Deb Shindler’s 10 reasons I’m dumping my iPad for a Galaxy Tab
۰ And my I weigh in on the iPad

* Expand Your Brain Reading reco: Online Fraud – How to avoid being a participant…

* General Purpose reco: Please remember — we are now in prime Cybercrime Season. Let’s be careful and cautious out there.

* Just Because It’s Saturday reco(s):
۰ Tech Republic is a site Über Geeks and other “power users” should be aware of, and very little is “members only”.. take a peek and see what I mean, here.
۰ Saturday? Duct Tape! (A ‘fun’ post of mine..)
۰ Recent Reports Outline Our Lack Of Security

And now a video:

* Quote of the week: “What seems like the right thing to do could also be the hardest thing you have ever done in your life.”

Let’s do the Right Thing, people.

[note: We here at T4E Headquarters (me, myself, and I) use “geek” as a compliment.]

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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Black Friday, Part 2 – Tech Bargains

My favorite store for tech gear is probably Micro Center. I just may have to face the traffic, as their in-store deals are ‘while supplies last’. But their online deals are nothing to sneeze at either. You can view them here. (And see their store locations.)

TigerDirect has some great discounts going – such as a 1.5TB Seagate hard drive for $60. Their Black Friday sale is called a “Pink Friday Sale” as they will be donating a minimum of $100,000 to a breast cancer charity. Also, TigerDirects Pink Friday sale lasts for 72 hours. Check out their Black Friday discounts here.

Newegg has discounts for electronics, internal components and peripherals. They also have free shipping for most of the items. Newegg’s Black Friday deals page is here. It’s quite a list, so be sure scroll down the full length of the page…

Buy.com’s Black Friday Deals has some nice bargains, too.

Black Friday, Pt 1

Folks, for now, a quick reading reco: FREE Password Management Tips and Software

“When it comes to making up and maintaining passwords, it is astonishing how complacent we can be…”

This well-written article, by one of my favorite writers, is an important read. But the best part is the solutions and free software recommendations.

I hope to get time to post more today.. in the meantime, please remember that we are now in prime Cybercrime Season. Let’s be careful and cautious out there.

* And in case I cannot get back here, I hope you all have a great holiday weekend.