argghhh....Ethernet cards...

Well my comptuer has been and still is running at speeds anywhere from 21kpbs to 80kpbs and I'm on cable/Roadrunner service. After a few tests I believe that the problem MAY lie with the ethernet card which was built in when I got the computer around 5 years ago. The comptuer is a HP Pavilion running Windows XP. My question is this. What is the best/fastest (yet still relitavely cheap roll ) ethernet card that I can get at somewhere such as CompUSA, Circuit City or Radio Shack or whatever. I'm clueless when it comes to something like an ethernet card, so any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks )

Odds are very very low that your ethernet card is causing your connection to be slow. In 7 years of experience I've only seen two kinds of network cards ones that work, and ones that don't. If it's working at all, it's probably not broken in any way.

Hmmm...Are you sure about that? The person who ran the tests wasn't me but a worker for the cable company. I know it's definately not spyware, and it isn't the ethernet cable that connects me to the router as I have tried a direct hook up to the modem and it's just as slow.

Pretty darn sure, yeah. The vast majority of cable company "technicians" are absolute morons. They'll tell you anything to get you off the phone...

... Plus they do not want to admit that it might be their problem.

Another thing that might be causing slowness is adware. Go to Microsoft.com and download their adware removal beta.

A good way to test the card

Go to [u2607e4942b]cnet to test your connection[=http//reviews.cnet.com/Bandwidth_meter/7004-7254_7-0.html?tag=tool]cnet to test your connection[/u2607e4942b] and test your (pre-changed) bandwith
Then go to frys, bestbuy, or circuit city and pick up a $10 - $20 card install it in your computer (trust me, it is VERY easy, just follow directions)
Go back to [u2607e4942b]cnet to test your connection[=http//reviews.cnet.com/Bandwidth_meter/7004-7254_7-0.html?tag=tool]cnet to test your connection[/u2607e4942b] and retest your speed.

If your speed improves keep the card, if not return it and contact the cable company with amunition.

I'lll do that, but I'm not really sure it's the cable companies fault although it MAY be. My sister's and dad's comptuer are connected to the same router and run at full speed. Just me.

ahh information I did not have...

If they are running full speed then it is most likely your PC. Before replacing the card try Microsoft's Adware Removal [Click here][=http//www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=321cd7a2-6a57-4c57-a8bd-dbf62eda9671&displaylang=en]Microsoft's Adware Removal [Click here]

Also check how many processes you have running in the background. With all applications closed (depending on which OS you are using) you should have about 20 to 30 processes running in the background. Anything more than that is a sign that you are infected (not a perfect indictator since there are a lot of variables).

Another possible is to empty your temporary internet folder.

I usually have about 30-35 processes running and none of them seem unusual other than stuff like hpsysdrv.exe, jusched.exe, or Itmsg.exe, but I have no clue if those kind of things are important or not, so I don't end them.

So far I've scanned with the following scanners



Norton Antivirus
Trend Micro House Call
Spybot Search And Destroy
AdAware SE
Hijack This (but couldn't find anyone to tell me if anything was wrong)
Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta
Spyware Blaster
CCleaner
GenDiskCleaner


Yeah...Alot.

would focus on the itmsg.exe.

Test your speed. End that process. Then test speed again. If the process refuses or pops back up, you might have found your culprt.

[quote741c53dfc4="Admin"]Pretty darn sure, yeah. The vast majority of cable company "technicians" are absolute morons. They'll tell you anything to get you off the phone...[/quote741c53dfc4] or try to selll you something