Can Registry Affect Download Speed?

My download speeds have habitually been around 15,000 kb/s and upload speeds about 1800 kb/s. A couple of weeks ago I did a clean install of Windows XP SP3. I installed all new drivers for everything. Coincidentally, about the same time, I noticed my download speeds were consistently in the 8000 kb/s range, but my upload speeds have remained unchanged in the 1800 kb/s range. I'm using an Asus mobo with 2 different LAN ports and both give the same results. I installed another PCI nic card, got new drivers and same results. I am hard wired via CAT 5e to a Linksys router.

Here's the weird part...I have another computer (Win XP SP3) beside me, also wired to the Linksys and it gets 15,000+ kb/s download speeds. I took the other computer's Cat 5e and plugged it in to all 3 LAN ports on my computer, but mine is still slow. Another laptop connected wireless is also faster than mine. So...I've determined the problem isn't with my ISP, modem, router or Cat 5. The problem can't be with all 3 LAN connections (a 3Com, a Realtek and integrated nVidia). I rolled back the applicable drivers...no change. I reinstalled the latest drivers...no change. For the record, this computer is kept clean - updated anti-virus, anti root kit, spyware, cookies cleaned out, registry cleaned, defragged, etc.

This one is beyond me. I'm going to have to assume this is a software / registry / bios related issue. Does anyone have any ideas / suggestions on how I can get my download speeds back up? :confused

Thank you!


Windows XP SP3
Asus A7N8X Deluxe 2.0
AMD Athlon XP 3200 +
3GB dual DDR Ram
Asus V9950 Ultra

 

Are those bits or byes a second, and I've never heard of a registry slowing down your download speeds, although it could affect the overall speed of your computer and your applications such as internet explorer or firefox. You can try to optimize your MTU and RWIN settings. Also all your computers on the network should have the same MTU settings. You can get a guide on how to do this here:
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/6266

 

I found the problem. This freaked me out for a while. All MTU and RWIN settings were optimized. The ONLY real difference between my computers was the browser. I am using the latest Firefox 3.07, the other computers are using IE7. A friend suggested switching to IE7 and running the speed test, and .....19,874 kb/s. Three consecutive tests were all in the upper 19,000 range. Went back to Firefox for a quick test and the download speed was still in the 8000 kb/s range.

That really surprised me, as I always thought Firefox was supposed to be faster / less cumbersome. Maybe when I reinstalled everything a few weeks ago, the Firefox was a bad install???

Anyway...bandwidth is back up to what I'm paying for!