Techie help needed

[Nigel Watts]

Today neither my mac nor my PC seems to want to upload photos to any application - Facebook, blog, Flikr etc. I have tried rebooting the BT broadband modem but no joy. Uploads start and then just get stuck. Internet works otherwise, but is a bit slow.

Any suggestions? I have just wasted hours trying to fix the problem.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, poor you, what a rotten waste of time. No ideas, but sure someone will be along to help.

 

[Flyfisher]

There might not be anything to fix (at your end). Have you checked your IP service status? - most have a webpage somewhere with the status of any problems they might be experiencing. The fact that it's affecting both your Mac and PC suggests it's not a local computer problem.

Status check
If you're having problems with BT Broadband, first off, check that their services are running correctly at their Service Status page. Check the BT Total Broadband status page for info on any problems with BT Broadband, or local exchanges.
Alternatively, call free on 0800 169 0199.

 

[MdB]

I suspect that your upload speed is very slow and can't cope with the size files you are trying to upload.

Who is your internet service provider?
How big are the files you are trying to upload?
What is the result of the speed test here? http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html
What antivirus program to you use?
When was the last time it was updated?
If your PC is switch off, is your Mac still slow at accessing the internet?

If your upload is slow, then the question we have to answer is why is it slow? Possible answers are: Your connection to the exchange. Your ISP. Your PC has been taken over and is spewing out Viagra emails.

 

[Pford75]

I agree with FF. The fact that it occurs on more than one terminal and more than one application would seem to suggest that the only common thread is the network connection.

I would start with the BB service provider, but I would also look at your hub/router and perhaps any cabling inside your house. If you only use wireless, do you have an overhead line into your house? Check for loose connections, frayed cabling etc.

It's also worth resetting your hub.

 

[Pford75]

Adding on to MdB's comments...

Agree with the 'slowness' issue...but this could be as a result of 'noise' on the line rather than something with your ISP or PC. 'Noise' can result from loose connections, damp in junction boxes etc

 

[Penners]

Nigel - I tend to agree with FF. The fact that both your computers are affected, and that the internet seems slow, is a strong indication that the problem lies with your ISP and/or the internet, rather than at your end.

Are you able to send an email without an attachment? Are your attachments particularly large?

 

[MdB]

Most times, it is something at the users end that is causing the problem. The Mac / PC rules out some potential issues but not all of them.

A few more questions:

When was the last time your ADSL modem was switch off?
If the answer is > 1 week, switch the modem off, count to 10, switch back on again. Does this help matters?
Is the modem a wireless router as well?
Do you use the wireless feature?
Is the wireless switched on?
Is it properly secured (uses WPA or better WPA2 security)?

 

[Nigel Watts]

Spent half an hour on the phone to a charming young lady in a BT call centre in India who tested my line speed and talked me through my hub settings. I cleared my cookies, switched my default browser, changed my wireless settings, tried connecting directly into the hub with a wire Still no result. 14 year old is currently mid battle on Call of Duty Modern Warfare II so another reboot of the hub will have to wait.

 

[Penners]

Er - is Call Of Duty Warfare Wotsit an online game? If so, that could be a factor. Games can gobble up huge amounts of bandwidth.

 

[Penners]

Nigel - assuming you haven't got a fixed IP address arrangement with your service provider (and unless you've specifically asked for it, you haven't) try this:

Go to Start>Programs>Accessories and open a Command Prompt

In the black Command Prompt window, type ipconfig /release (NOTE: there is a single space between ipconfig and the /)

Now type ipconfig /renew (NOTE: ditto)

Your war gamer will be cut off from the internet briefly, but go on - live dangerously!

Has that helped?

 

[AMc]

My money is on COD stealing all the available upload speed - you may have several megabits of download but only a few hundred of upload available (that's the asynchronous part of Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line). As games are time critical then its data could easily be flooding out your connection to all other traffic (i.e. your pictures).
As you have a games console online you almost certainly have a router not just a modem, that ipconfig trick is going to refresh the LAN side IP address of that PC not the WAN side IP address of the whole network.
Restarting the ADSL modem/router will usually result in a renewed DHCP lease and thus a new WAN IP address - but it will kill the network connection for everyone while it restarts.

 

[chuckey]

Slow network tale :- Came back from holiday and wifey was using her laptop and she wanted me to look at something. I did this on her machine and decided her network connection was running slow, on examination of her machine it appeared that she was using " little network" ????. Ah, I switched off our router etc. when we went away, on switching the kit back on the Internet resumed at full speed. I wonder who owns "little network" and where it is! (also its security settings).
Frank

 

[Nigel Watts]

Nigel - assuming you haven't got a fixed IP address arrangement with your service provider (and unless you've specifically asked for it, you haven't) try this:

Go to Start>Programs>Accessories and open a Command Prompt

In the black Command Prompt window, type ipconfig /release (NOTE: there is a single space between ipconfig and the /)

Now type ipconfig /renew (NOTE: ditto)

Your war gamer will be cut off from the internet briefly, but go on - live dangerously!

Has that helped?

Tried it (on my PC) but it hasnt fixed the problem. The problems arose before my son started on his x-box games. I have tried attaching images to my e-mails and sending them but even they seem to get blocked. I have wasted a day trying to fix this (when I should have been working). I am so frustrated that I am now hitting the bottle.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Splendid idea, a nice vintage I hope.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Only our house red - a Cotes de Roussillon Villages from Waitrose, but it seems to be doing the trick. In some of my recent and increasingly wild and incoherent bits of keyboard bashing a few piccies seem to have snuck through, including this of my newly restored and reupholstered chaise in-situ which was delivered this morning:

 

[Moo]

That is really splendid, Nigel! It immediately put me in mind of Plas Teg.

 

[Nigel Watts]

That picture, which I saved as a low res jpeg to see if file size was the problem, must have taken half a day to get through. I am still getting no results on recent attempts.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh wow - the chaise! I'm coming over to steal it! Isn't the yellow just perfect? And it looks so right sat in the window! Your front room is looking fantastic - you should be very proud.

 

[Penners]

I am so frustrated that I am now hitting the bottle.

Rather than hitting it, I recommend inverting it over a glass.