General Chat

Definitely a bit of an odd case - in more ways than one, I have a friend who is connected with the bigger picture and suffice to say I have no doubt that we will see many more changes to GR in the future ;-)

Just a thought but how old is yr router/modem ?
It is possible that yr problems are router/modem related.
see here

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/159211

Rollo, thanks for the link, but it said that it didnt apply to my system.......anyway, most of it was in geek speek, and went totally over my head.........

Bob

ok ... in plain English.

Internet data is sent over the net in lots of little bits which join up at the receiving end. They do not arrive in the order sent. The minimum packet size and the time-to-wait are usually part of the router configuration though settings in the client can override this.
Over the years the protocol has changed and routers which are not fully compiant are known as "black hole routers".

Never ending connection timeouts can be caused by having a "black hole router".

They can also be caused by having a very old network card and an old an un patched operating system e.g. XP needs to be at least SP2. The usual reason for not updating the OS is MS activation.

A network card or MOB interface must support at least 100 MB/sec. The old 10MB cards are not ok.

It is possible to setup network MTU settings to deal with black hole routers. This usually fixes the connection problems but degrades overall performance.

A modern router is usually supplied for free by the major ISPs and none of those current have black hole problems. However it seems that quite a lot of people have very elderly kit in use.

People running web sites tend to keep their servers right up to date because exploiting black hole and time out errors is a great vector for hacking into a server. Better a cross customer than a hacked company.

take care

I have tried many of the tuning suggestions that Rollo has made from time to time but still have problems with time-outs.

Whilst I don't have the depth of technical knowledge he has, I did work for 20 years as a business analyst, system support specialist and project manager which brought me into close contact with problems and IT techies on an almost daily basis, so I don't regard myself as a complete numpty.

So, this is an example of a time out:-

14,500 names in my Tree

* Select Relatives, Surname Summary.
* Show Activity for 14 Days, hit search
* Click the heading Matches in my family free

This sorts the list in ascending order

* Click the heading Matches in my family tree

Not surprisingly sorts the list in descending order. This usually works most of the time but occasionally times out. Re-trying usually works on first or second try.

* Select page 2, 3, 4 or whatever

Invariably times out. One in ten tries perhaps gets there.


Set up is:-

2.20 gigahertz AMD Athlon 64
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache
3072 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory

Windows 7 Home Premium Service Pack 1
Mozilla Corporation - Firefox Version 23.0
Noscript Add-on

TP-LINK Wireless N Adapter
Netgear / DGN1000 Router

Connection is 'up to' 16 Mbps, typically 12 when quiet, 8 at busier times.

fao IGP

Well I tried out your query using the name BOSTOCK which gave me 134 matches.
I tried yr query on two different machines both fairly ancient and the results were returned ok and quickly.

machine (a) P4 3.0 Prescott HyperThreading XP SP3 2GB RAM Firefox 22
machine (b) Phenom X4 2.6 8GB RAM VISTA64 SP2 Firefox 22

router: (a) Virgin as supplied by ISP ( 50GB connection)
then (with Virgin in modem mode) router (b) Buffalo AirStation 802.n compliant
router (c) old Netgear 802g

no problems at all.

Right My setup as far as I can see, is
toshiba satellite(year and a half old) c660d
W7
3 gig ram 1.3 ghz 64 bits
rating 3.4

speed test 3.38Mb d/load
745kb u/l

router is a brandnew talk talk rated 130Mb/s

just tried to download a wmv of 5.0 Mb and it took over 3 minutes......

does that make sense?

Bob

fao IGP

Your router ( DGN1000 Router ) has a pretty dismal reputation but has been very popular with ISPs . All the same it should handle GRU ok but would be a bit pushed doing Wimbledon HD real time streaming or iPlayer HD on wifi.

Have you tried running yr query on GRU with a wired connection rather than wifi ?

Other possibilities:

Windows XP has a swapfile called pagefile.sys which sits in the root directory.
If there are any errors in this it will cause all kinds of odd problems. Easiest fix to create a new clean pagefile.sys is this:
Create or modifying the REG_DWORD value from 1 to 0 in the registry key ClearPageFileAtShutdown. This is located here:
HKEY_LOCAL_Machine\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
Reboot your machine.

Problems with memory can also create odd problems with searches and such. It sometimes works to take the RAM out and then reinsert it again carefully in a different order if you have 2 or more pieces.It is because of these possible problems that servers and some high end desktops use ECC memory.

I assume yr machine is not running too hot.

My router is only 6 months old supplied by my ISP - what I do find interesting is that since I reported the problem to GR and received their response I have had no further incidents :-S

I have often thought that my Router may be my problem

I run Windows XP home add SP3 IE8...... my Router is a Billion 802.11g ADSL2. 4 Lanes

My system is AMD Sempron(tm))processor 3000+

1.80GHz 960mb of ram
Physical Address Extension

I value your knowledge on computers Rollo ...can you tell me what to do to improve my Computer without buying a new one as I can't afford one :-D

I to am on XP and Google Chrome but have McFee and AVG and still get it....LES...

fao Susan

The Billion routers are ok. Make sure the wifi is configured at 300 MBS not the default 150MBS. The control interface could be better laid out but everything is there.

There are four things which will improve the performance of old Sempron systems no end. One is free.

[1] memory
Xp runs a whole lot better with 2 GB of memory. It will be DDR2 memory.
As it is not made any more the price of DDR2 has risen quite a a bit but it is fairly easy to get some decent memory on eBay for under £ 20 2GB. A matched pair of 2 x 1 GB will be best bang for buck. Consult yr motherboard manual for exact spec. If you don't have the manual than google for it or send me the motherboard make and number and I'll post the RAM you need.
Do NOT purchase ECC memory it won't work.
It is very easy to fit the new RAM.
Switch off computer, remove power cable. Open case.
The memory are rectangular cards about 6cm x 1 cm near the CPU. (The CPU has a big fan on top of it). The memory is secured by a clip at each end, usually white. Pull these back gently and lift the old memory out. (make sure you have taken static precautions). Insert the new memory - make sure it is the right way around - and push firmly, the clips will close automatically.
A PC shop will charge getting on for £ 100 for this inc the RAM so it really is d-i-y or most teenagers can do it blindfold.

[ 2] free item
Open the case and remove all dust and fluff around fans. A can of compressed air from Maplins helps a lot.

[3] Upgrade the CPU from a Sempron to an Athlon.

The CPU will cost < £ 10 from eBay. You will also need some thermal paste ( about £ 8 at Maplin, £ 2 eBay ). It is a bit more tricky than changing the memory but will result in a big improvement.
1. remove fan - together with the heat sink it is secured by metal clips. Push down on the clips with an ordinary flat screwdriver and release clips. Lift off heat sink. It might be a bit stiff.
2. You will now be able to see the CPU. There is a lever beside it. Move the lever upwards which will release the CPU. Lift it out of the square socket.
3. Make sure the surface of the CPU and the bottom of the heat sink are clean and free from grease.
4. Put the CPU in the socket, make sure it is the right way around - there is a marker on CPU and socket. It will drop in easily.
5. Put some thermal paste on top of the CPU, NOT TOO MUCH - a common mistake.
There are plenty of YouTube videos which will give you an idea.
6. Replace the heat sink, use the screwdriver to push down the clip.
Again send me the MOB details and I can advise you matching CPUs.

[4] Upgrade the graphics card

Good AGP8X graphics cards which used to cost a fortune are now ez to find on eBay for £ 10-15.Even if yr board is AGP4X and AGP8X card will run at 4X speed.
The best value for money are AMD and nVidia based cards with 512MB memory. If you are not into gaming those with a solid heat sink no fan are much quieter.

The AGP graphics card is the bit that the monitor cable connects to.
1. Remove cable.
2. Open the box. Remove screw on top of card which secures it to the case.
At the rear bottom end of the card is a clip. Push gently on it - this will release the card. Lift it out.
3. Insert new card, push down and the clip will close automatically. Replace screw, box.
4. You will probably need to install new drivers - make sure you have these before starting.

With all of the upgrades you will find that the real life performance of your computer ( except for gaming and video editing ) is as good as a new machine.

good luck

Boy oh boy I am going to need some luck with all that .

My Mother boards is

Asus K8V-MX Series
VIA K8M800 Chipset Support CD Rev.150.03 M709 what ever that means

I still have all my dsc's and manuals from when I purchased my computer.

Thankyou Rollo Appreciate your help :-D

fao Sue


Hi

You need
2 x 1GB PC3200 184 pin non-ECC memory.
Athlon 64 bit processor ( the existing heat sink will work fine)
AGP 8X card 256MB RAM or better

here are some examples:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2GB-2x1GB-DDR-400-MHz-PC3200-Non-ECC-Desktop-PC-DIMM-Memory-RAM-184-pin-/321016544206?pt=UK_Computing_ComputerComponents_MemoryRAM_JN&hash=item4abe13bbce

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Athlon-64-3200-ADA3200AEP5AP-CPU-Socket-754-AMD-/271231708875?

pt=UK_Computing_CPUs_Processors&hash=item3f26ab6ecb

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/XFX-Geforce-FX5500-256MB-DDR-8x-AGP-DVI-Graphics-Card-/121138790283?

pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item1c346f3f8b

good luck

Thankyou Rollo :-D........my Grandaughter is going to help me do it.

So my Mother Board is OK then? :-D

RolloTheRed I would just like to say I think it's very kind of you to help others try & sort the problems out that others are having on here or the computer they have. well done.

( for Sue )
yes, it is an excellent motherboard.
Good for another 3 years at least.