Bandwidth problems..

[LilyPink]

Hello me lovelies

I'm looking for a bit of advice about bandwidth. Mine has got shockingly bad over the last week but it was excellent before. It's really frustrating me!!

Could it be my computer? It's whirring a lot more than it used to and it's about 3 years old now. I downloaded manycams recently and a new version of flash.. and maybe it was just too much for it.

Could it be myfreecams? I get automatic downloads of new software but I used the web browser and had the same problems so I don't know how it could be

Could it be my internet service provider? My upload speed is the same as before though, just under 1 meg. I tried to use a wired connection but it didn't work.

How do I check where the problem is?

Thanks :-D

 

[AngelicTease]

Can you get someone with another laptop to visit you, and see if it works okay for them? Or borrow someones laptop to try MFC... hmm it'd have to be someone who knows what you do though, that's probably a really crap suggestion actually, sorry!

 

[schlmoe]

Can you get someone with another laptop to visit you, and see if it works okay for them? Or borrow someones laptop to try MFC... hmm it'd have to be someone who knows what you do though, that's probably a really crap suggestion actually, sorry!

This is actually a good suggestion. Try to replicate the problem on another machine.

Back to the original question. There is all kind of jargon that people can throw at you, but the main question is when did this start happening? And can you get your PC/Notebook back to before you had issues?

If your network/ISP speed is constant, then I would try to run it without Manycams & the newest Flash (and without any other S/W you added to your PC recently). If everything looks good, try adding the S/W back one at a time, and you might find the culprit that way.

Also, if your PC is 3 years old, try to see if there are newer video card and network card drivers available (via Windowsupdate.com or the vendor). Wired network is always better than wireless, and switching over to wired s/b automatic. Not sure why it didn't work for you.

I would try these things first. If you still have issues, then it would be time to delve into the Pandora's box of Internet/ISP/network speed.

 

[LeahBabi]

I'm actually experiencing the same problem, seemed to happen after the new software update. I've tried it wired directly & still have the same laggy connection. Very irritating I thought it was just me though it's been driving me crazy.

 

[schlmoe]

Your PC could be dealing with a latency issue. Latency is a delay, and that delay may be causing your "lag". I am only talking about "system latency". Network latency could be your problem, but I would try this first.

*Disclaimer: We are assuming that your network speed/bandwidth has not been fluctuating or reduced. AND We are assuming that you do not have any PC hardware or malware problems*

Basically speaking, if you have tons of programs (processes, or services) running, they are all competing with your PC's resources for attention. If there are too many processes running at the same time, one or more of the process "commands" or requests to the PC will have to "wait" until the previous command has completed (think about your busy chatroom when the random n00b complains that you didn't answer his Q fast enough, that's latency). This "wait" time is latency, and could cause your lag. Another cause of latency is where a poorly written program is causing havoc and not playing well with the other kids in the sandbox. I started having problems when I updated FF AND a USB driver the other day, so I've been dealing with this exact same thing.

This only applies to Windows O/S:
1: Create a new user account. Do not make it an administrator account, power user should be fine
2: Edit the start-up group to the bare minimum. Look at your system tray in the bottom right. Is it full of icons? Those icons represent running processes.
3: Since this new user account is just for camming, you decide what programs you need running. I would start off with the bare necessities: model software and/or browser for web client; cam s/w; jukebox s/w, and what ever else you really "need". Do you really need IM and mail clients running? Do you need tweetdeck (or similar) running? Since this is a test, just run only what you need to cam.
4. When you have done all this, log off & log on (or reboot) into the new "test" account. Do NOT use the Windows "switch user", as that uses PC resources.
5. Test it out, give it a dry run. If everything is working OK, you can add back optional items, one at a time and go from there. Doing this, you should be able to isolate the problem.

It should also go without saying that what ever browser you use should be updated. For this test, I would dis-able ALL browser themes, BHOs, frivolous add-ons, and all browser toolbars. The same is to be said for your flash/java/Windows; and cam/video drivers: update them all.

If you are not sure how to do this, there are plenty of free resources on the web. Google "how to create new Windows account" and go from there. Most of the results will be detailed with step by step screen shots. Get some of your PC literate friends to help. This should really only take 30-60 minutes (or less), and ideally you don't want to start this 10 minutes before you go on cam.

There are many other troubleshooting tricks you could do, but this is just a basic starting point. Good luck!

 

[LilyPink]

You are brilliant Schlmoe!

I've cleaned up my computer a bit and got rid of a few things so hopefully this will change things! On cam this afternoon so will test it then. If not I'll make a new user account and do all these other clever things you've mentioned.

Thank you xx

 

[LeahBabi]

Genius indeed schlmoe! Thank you, I actually uninstalled everything & re-installed + made a new account so I'll test it out tomorrow as well. Let me know how it goes Lily

 

[Zoomer]

It has to be said, it is most likely your PC and not bandwidth. Bandwidth is how much data can be sent - typically used to refer to your internet connection. Does exist inside your PC, but it can transfer Gb/s of data around as required, so you don't notice it.

However, a fan working harder means it is trying to cool something, which means something is hot. Things get hot when they're working hard, which means your processor is busy.
You could just right click your clock, start the task manager and go to the performance tab - to see how much CPU usage, and memory usage, is going on.

You can (if you are brave) click on the "Resource Monitor" button (if you can see one) to get more info. You can see what is actually using it in a detailed view. If anything is using lots of CPU then consider what it is. Do this when you've got your cam stuff running. You can also set the priority for various processes, meaning they're not likely to be suspended for a few milli seconds whilst another process/thread uses the CPU.

If lots/most of your CPU is being used, or memory, then there may be issues...

 

[Neudiin]

You are brilliant Schlmoe!

Genius indeed schlmoe!

PROOF there are pod people. Either smoe has been replaced with someone smarter OR these 2 women are the first of many replaced people!! There is no other explanation!!! hehe smoe

 

[schlmoe]

You are brilliant Schlmoe!

Genius indeed schlmoe!

PROOF there are pod people. Either smoe has been replaced with someone smarter OR these 2 women are the first of many replaced people!! There is no other explanation!!! hehe smoe

Nah, there is one other explanation: "Even a blind dog can find a bone"

Every 10 years or so, I can come close to hitting it "just right". It could be worse, I could be on the "Haley's Comet" schedule!

 

[Neudiin]

Nah, there is one other explanation: "Even a blind dog can find a bone"

Every 10 years or so, I can come close to hitting it "just right". It could be worse, I could be on the "Haley's Comet" schedule!

Even a broken clock is right twice a day lol

 

[SoTxBob]

LMAO.. Pod people... I love obscure references from way back.... :thumbleft: :lol: :lol:

 

[LilyPink]

Wish I knew what pod people were but I'll laugh anyway to be polite :lol:

So....... switching user worked. Now I need to figure out what is making my usual user bad.
Fuck knows.