horrible low network utilization

[netshade 0]

Hi.

 

I just recently installed XP ( 2600, professional ) on my PC, and I've encountered the following problem: No matter what NIC is in my machine, I can only ever hit ( at best ) .5 to 1% network utilization.

 

Most of the time, my util fluctuates at .01-.03%. I've tried with both a Linksys LNEPCI2 10M card and a D-Link 100M card, and achieved the same results ; I've turned the firewall on and off, but both times gained no performance increase.

 

The computer is currently configured:

 

Client for Microsoft Networks

+ QoS

+ File and Printer Sharing ( bound to IPX/SPX only )

+ Netbios for IPX/SPX

+ IPX/SPX

+ TCP/IP

+ disable LMHOSTS lookup

+ disable NetBios over TCP/IP

+ disable filtering

+ use DHCP assignment

 

 

The computer is connected to the school network, which is configured as:

 

Dorm Room -> Dorm Hub -> Campus Fiber Hub -> Proxy Server / Firewall -> Internet

 

 

How on earth can I get decent network performance out of XP? The other night I actually hit a 4k/sec download and was ecstatic ; I've checked other student's computers and seen no performance lag at all...

 

( note: I tried a bunch of Tweaks off of the NTCompatible tweaking article ( the registry tweaks, that is ), but they failed to give me much of an increase. I reset the settings using the "netsh int ip reset" command to the original XP settings - not sure if that would make a diff, tho... )

 

 

.netshade.

[clutch 1]

Umm, most networks don't break 5% utilization even with > 50 active workstations and several servers. You will see peaks when you are transferring large files, but at times you may still only see 50%-75% even then.

 

As for the slow transfer speed, what method were you using?

[netshade 0]

HTTP is the most common example of slow transfers ; for instance, it takes me anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds to load the NTCompatible.com forums.

 

HTTP downloads have routinely started at 5-10K/second, then dropped down to 500 bytes per second.

 

Other computers ( W9x, all ) experience no such networking problems ; I seem to be the only computer I can find that suffers from such slowdowns.

 

( Thanks, re: the network util. I'm curious as to whether or not you're referring to network utilization in the general sense, or the network utilization panel available via the Ctrl+Alt+Del method. What is the usual level of util as reported by that panel for you? )

 

 

.ns.

[clutch 1]

From what I have played with in WinXP, they are one and the same. It seems to be borrowing from some of the Network Monitor 2 code that comes from SMS 2.0 drivers. The best thing that I can suggest (and do if I see the same situation) is use a network sniffer and see what that machine is doing when there is a slow download condition.

 

In regards to network util on my test XP box, it performs as expected. With normal traffic, it runs at 0.5%-2% utilization while copying a large file (Vis Studio SP5) from a server sitting on the same 10Mb hub will cause it to run between 70%-75%.

 

Now, with respect to your comparing your workstation to others on your network, are they running the same hardware? Can they connect to your port and still maintain the same level of performance? Have you tried other drivers/NICs (besides those listed, like an Intel or 3Com)?