radio streaming breaking up and slow browsing

Hi MajorGeeks, I've been experiencing breaks in streaming bbc radio for a month or two and been seeing much slower browsing and been through your pc fixes but it is still happening. I have changed quite a few things recently so it's very difficult to work out what it might be. I have changed broadband suppliers from virgin to sky, tried your malware fixes, upgraded to avg8 and deleted it for avast, stopped using windows firewall and gone to comodo, disabled windows defender, started using online armor. After following your malware fix I had no viruses or trojans or anything come up on the scans, combofix did allow msconfig to work again, but as I had nothing come up I didn't keep the logs and I no longer have the results to post.
I have a windows xp home edition with service pack2 on an old computer that originally had ME but was upgraded, I have done all windows updates except service pack 3, bit afraid to do that after reading all that was necessary to do this safely. I use firefox 2, but not as my default browser which is still set as IE.
Sorry to be so vague, I am a bit of a newby and don't really know what to include on here to give a full picture. Any help would be appreciated, I seem to be spending loads of time trying to sort out the browsing and streaming and doing lots more things that may or may not be helping without getting any closer to fixing things.:confused Also feel a bit cheeky asking for help when it seems my probs aren't so bad and is this the kind of thing you help with??? Cheers for being there anyway, I already had loads of free stuff and advice.

 

are you wired or wireless? how much ram do you have and your processor?

reason i asked i have a compaq 1.8 ghz 512 ram and had the same problem, cleared as much as i could from the processor but same issue. Other computers on my system ran fine. interested to here what the responses you will get.

 

Uninstall all unnecessary programs, and ones easily reinstalled. Run chkdsk. Check System Services, Disable and enable onboard sound through Device Manager. Install another sound card after disabling on board sound. First try Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices, Audio, Sound playback/Default Device, Advanced, Performance, what does it look like...possibly Restore Defaults...

 

I have an Intel Pentium III 930MHz 512 MB RAM. I have run CHKDSK, performance in Adv. Audio Properties is on full and best, I couldn't see how to disable and enable on board sound in Device Manager and I don't have another sound card to install.
I ran the basic computer maintenance a few months ago, regularly use CCleaner, have Iobot Smart defrag running continuously and my startup is pretty trimmed down.
The radio did break up very occasionally with Virgin though nothing like now and my system/browsing was never this slow (apart from peak times) and my download/upload speeds are much higher with Sky, I spoke to Sky and they were pretty dismissive and said maybe my dish was interfering with my broadband but seems like I still have problems even when I'm not using my dish, i.e. not watching TV. After disabling Windows Defender a couple of days ago the streaming is breaking up less but the quality is mostly low and fluctuates. I don't know if this is relevant but in the last few weeks Firefox has told me it needs to close every now and then, I only used to get this with IE and seems surprising that Firefox does it at all.

 

Can you run http://www.speedtest.net/ and post a screen shot or simply let us know the results. Cheers...

 

Download 0.21MB/s upload 0.04MB/s. Should I have just that window open when testing or is it ok to have other tabs open? Results seem really low.

 

Thats good Compared to what one gets in India. My connection is quite a bit slower. I have no problems with radio streaming and neither should you. I have probs with some YouTube Videos though. How much available memory do you see in task manager.

 

196500

 

Thats way way below the 50% free (of total) rule of thumb ideal situation. But then with 512MB maybe thats normal. Low any way, rule of thumb or not. Was the reading taken with any apps running.

 

That's with firefox running with 6 tabs and using ~100 000k.....

 

Can you post a screen shot of processes running in Task Manager. Without any app running. Take it easy on the Tabs, as they are using a lot, of what's left over.

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=26019

 

I've downloaded IrfanView, the screen shot is a bit crap and not very clear but I can't work out how to put it in here, tried clicking on copy in Irfan but can't paste into this box, sorry if I'm being a bit dumb.....

 

I always run firefox with lots of tabs open and it's not been a problem before.....

 

Maximise TM hit PrtSc open IV hit Ctrl+V then save to desk top and attach in your post. Not done this for ages as well hope I got it right.....

Why not try streaming radio and monitor TM available MEM while at it. In your regular desktop environment "Tabs galore" LoL. Cheers..

 

tried to upload file few times and it says upload failed, is it too big at 2.25MB?
shall I do one of TM when streaming as well? When I can upload it that is:-D

 

Am I thick, don't get the joke??

 

Unfortunately (for you) I don't see the regular Hard core Geeks here. With Halo, dlb, Mark Trent,sach2, chaijmn (spell check maybe) studiot, Lev and so many more, would have had you on a roll by now.

 

on a roll??

 

Na, I'm with you. AT TIMES I've got multiple browsers not to mention Tabs

 

On a roll = Fixed the probs

 

Sorry, you need to resize the screen shot to, attachment forum norms. Use IV for the same.

 

I guess you must be able to resize it cos it's illegible now that I have been able to get it down to less than 97k, i'm really blown away that you cool people are willing to help out like this, muchas gracias amigo

 

Not to worry MarkTrent is here.

 

here's me screenshot
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/417/gscreenshotgv7.th.jpghttp://img232.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif
As far as Firefox is concerned I have very few extensions/add-ons, just adobe pdf download 2 and java quick start1
Nice one on the defrag stuff, great tip. Have I done that screenshot wrong??

 

Browsing seems better after changing defrag programme and not having it running in the background and doing other things suggested.
Started a new firefox profile and radio streaming is, if anything, slightly worse, as soon as firefox is a bit busy doing something then radio stops while performing the task and quality is also tinny and a bit muffled.:confused

 

Are you browsing in Tabs and streaming radio at the same time? What station are you streaming maybe I can check it out though, I doubt if there will be a problem. As far as browsing in Tabs - I say this because you mentioned "Fire fox is a bit busy doing something then radio stops". Busy doing what?!!

 

I am streaming bbc.co.uk/radio1 in one tab and browsing with firefox in others and when it is loading a page with lots of pictures and detail or opening the control panel for building my website with 1and1 or anything that seems to need a bit more RAM? it breaks up.
Do you think it would make a difference if I was streaming in a separate window and not in a tab, the player always tries to open up in a new window at start but I do it in a tab for easy access?

 

I started streaming by hitting "Listen Live. Opened additional browsers and went nuts opening Tabs. No probs. Got a hiccup for a second opening Photo links on Fred Miranda's site.

Well the Listen Live, was streaming at 64.1 Kbps. Don't know what you were streaming, but thats a pretty low bit rate for quality.

Have you called Sky support. Don't want to be the one to tell you to invest in ram but it may be the prob. Wait for more replies. Cheers....

 

Nice one sikvik, appreciate your efforts, I am streaming at 64.1 too. I spoke to Sky support and they were not willing to admit it had much to do with them apart from interference from my dish which seems tenuous. Seems like it is maybe down to RAM when things got better after freeing up more RAM.....? Might have to admit that an upgraded ten year old machine has its limitations......may the universe bestow upon me (and you) increased earnings from this day forward.....cheers dude
If there's anymore bright ideas out there......?????

 

Yes you are correct. Launching a Cpu intensive program (even a browser) while streaming On the P3 can create issues for streaming. If you can restrict multitasking it should serve you just fine.