8rga USB DSL Problems

[Lorddrakul]

I have an 8RGA running Win XP Pro SP1 with all current updates.
I also have a Trust 235A ADSL modem and a DSL account.

However, the DSL download speeds are rubbish, averaging about 3.5K per second.

Now using an old PIII laptop running WinXP Home SP1, and the same set up the connection is fine and downloads run at 54k per second.

I thought it was a USB problem, so I have unplugged all other USB devices, downloaded two differnet MS USB fixes but nothing seems to work.

Anyone any ideas of similar rpoblems?

Thanks,

LD

[danrok]

Has it always been that way or was it working correctly previously?

[SteveI]

Does the modem have an option for ethernet connection instead?
If yes, it should give you a faster and a more constistent connection.

[Lorddrakul]

USB seems to have been fine on this macine before, but I am not a heavy USB user, all I have is a memory key, a joystick and a digital camera.

Unfortunately the modem does not have an ethernet connection.

What baffles me is that fact that the old laptop works perfectly with it using XP home.

LD

[Lorddrakul]

This is getting even weirder.
I though by bypassing the entire USB controllers of the nForce2 that it should solve the problem. So I got a USB 2.0 PCI card. I installed it, installed the drivers and it was detected correctly and could detect the Modem attached to it. But once again, no joy. The download speeds are still terrible.

However, I got a little app that measures download speeds even while browsing and the wird thing is that during ordinary page browsing the speeds may reach 20kps, but once a file is being downloaded. then it just goes down to 3 or below. Its very odd.

I think I may have to bit the bullit and just get a DSL Modem with an Ethernet connection.

LD

[Gizmo]

Did you do the EXACT same thing on your PIII laptop (i.e. did you try downloading some files)?

The reason I ask is because some ISPs advertise really high speeds for their service, and when you read the fine print, that high speed is only available for normal web browsing, because they cache a lot of web content on their local servers and only have a low bandwidth connection to the Internet.

[Lorddrakul]

Yeah, I tried that. Basically I tried downloads from Ms, nVidia, ATi, and a test file the ISP use for download speeds. The laptop is fine and the nForce2 machine still has the same problem

[Gizmo]

That is extraordinarilly interesting. Even if you were stuck at USB 1.0 speeds I would expect better performance than that.

Is your computer properly grounded? By this I mean, are you plugged into a grounded outlet, and does the ground pin on that outlet actually connect to ground? The same question for your DSL modem?

I'm wondering if you haven't got a ground loop somehow that is screwing with your connection.

[Lorddrakul]

Gismo,

the modem is USB and so draws power from the USB of the machine.

The machine is grounded as the PSU has a three wire power lead and the plug has a ground pin which is connected. House is grounded (house is under a year old) So I don't think it is that.

However, there are lots of stories of USB related problems for the nForce2 so am gonna do a bit more trouble shooting this evening and fialing that get an RJ45 equiped DSL modem instead.

Cheers,

LD

[Gizmo]

Oh. Duh. I knew that.

Just checking to see if you were awake. Yeah, that's it, that's the ticket.

I would buy it being an nForce2 problem if it weren't for the fact that you plugged in a PCI USB card and had the same issue.

Maybe ET has a thought?

In any case, and ethernet DSL modem seems like the better solution anyway. You can then get yourself a router/firewall combo to put between you and the rest of the Internet.

[danrok]

Have you checked that your system is clean and that there are no spyware, adware or any other type of junk running? Some of these things are very stealthy and chew up your bandwidth. Last year I had a trojan on my PC which was attacking a server and killing my bandwidth at the same time. Just a thought.

[Lorddrakul]

Yup!

I thought of all that. I used a download monitor to ensure that there was no traffic that was unaccounted for. I ran AVG and Adaware and Spykiller.

Its definitely something to do with the nForce2 board and the XP Pro installation on it because I am currently on my other machine a KT333A based machine and the DSL modem is plugged in and I just downloaded a 5mb file from download.com at an average of more than 55kps.

But more woes, I used DriverCleaner on the machine in safe mode to remove all old nForce platform drivers before installing the ones relaesed today, now windows won't boot! So it looks like I am going to have to do a clean install anyway. Oh well!

Thanks for all the responses.

LD

[danrok]

Hopefully, the problem will no longer exist after a reinstall. If it does not you will not be the first to have a strange problem on an nForce board. Let us know the outcome.

[Lorddrakul]

Will do,

thanks

[Lorddrakul]

Latest Update:
Went to install the latest Forceware driver pack released only yesterday. I used Driver Cleaner2 to remove the old ones and slap my leg and call me Henry, Xp would nt boot any more.

Managed to do a repair on XP to get it to boot again and save data. So it looks like I'll have to do a full re-install so I'll have to see what happens.

LD

[Lorddrakul]

Got it sorted finally!

It took a full re-install. I had to re-install XP, SP1, DX9 then did the Forceware latest, then installed the modem, no joy. Uninstalled the modem, disabled USB2.0, reinstalled the modem and hey presto, away it went. However, this did not work on the prvious installation. But as I type this, i am getting updates from MS at 55.6kps!

Alright!!!

LD

[Gizmo]

Glad you finally got it sorted!

[EPoX Tech]

It does sound very much as though the DSL modem is outside of the signalling window of the specification for USB 1.1 or 2.0.

This does happen a lot unfortunatley with USB devices at the lower end of the market.