We continue with the section of Windows tricks to speed up the computer by changing the settings that Microsoft has set to maintain the stability of the systems. These are therefore changes made by launching precise commands, without using programs and with non-automatic procedures, which cannot be done through the Windows menus.
This time we only talk about Windows 7 and Vista .
As pointed out by talking about the increase of the cache memory of the filesystem, the trick object of this article, to speed up the internet connection, may or may not work depending on the use that is made of the computer.
Like last time, I have to decline any responsibility for any malfunctions, even if, after doing several experiments, I could say that the chances of doing damage are very few.
Some of these tricks can give concrete results but also have several related risks (even if calculated).
Before proceeding, it is essential that System Restore and backup of important files are activated.
If you are unhappy with the speed of your internet connection, Windows has a great deal
selection of tweaks that could help speed up the connection.
Internet speed tests can be done before starting and after any modification with the online tools of the Speedtest website.
1) Network connections normally initiate data transfer by sending small blocks and then gradually increase the size of the transferred data.
Compound TCP (CTCP) is an algorithm, introduced in Windows Vista and also implemented in Windows 7, designed to aggressively regulate the reception and sending of data, eliminating TCP congestion to optimize network bandwidth and eliminate delays.
TCP Compound is disabled by default in Windows 7 and Vista, but you can enable it to improve network performance .
For more details you can read the Wikipedia page on TCP Compound if you want to try the trick, even if it remains difficult to understand for non-technicians, proceed in this way.
Start the dos prompt ( Start -> programs -> Accessories ) with administrator privileges and enter this command (you can copy and paste):
netsh int tcp set global congestionprovider = ctcp
If there were problems or if after some time no improvements were noticed, you can deactivate the CTCP with the same command, inserting however = none or = default instead of = ctcp and return to the default value.
2) Windows 7 introduced Direct Cache Access (DCA) which reduces the consumption of system resources by allowing the network controller to transfer data directly into a CPU cache (if the system supports it).
This DCA is also disabled by default as Microsft does not guarantee that it will work on every computer (always remember that two PCs are never identical, even if made with the same pieces).
To activate DCA run this command in the dos prompt:
netsh int tcp set global dca = enabled
To disable it just re-enter the command changing enabled with disabled .
3) The same tool can be used to activate Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN), a technology that helps the system to combat network congestion without losing data packets.
I repeat again, if when downloading large files the download speed is high and remains constant, it means that everything is fine and it is absolutely not convenient to perform these operations.
In this case, if the system supports it, run the command:
netsh int tcp set global ecncapability = enabled
With = disabled you disable this feature while with = default you return to the default setting (which should be with ECN disabled).
Even after this change, check the connection to see if the internet is going faster .
4) All these activations can increase the CPU usage on the computer.
Fortunately, this CPU usage can be minimized and optimized by allowing the network adapter processor to manage the connection.
This should already be activated on computers and Microsoft also recommends enabling this feature (as long as the network card supports it).
Then, in the dos prompt, enter the command:
netsh int tcp set global chimney = enabled ( = disabled to disable).
5) There are a lot of network connection related settings in the registry .
From the DOS command prompt, run regedit to open the registry key editor and continue with the instructions to increase network speed by editing registry keys .
For example, from the left menu, navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ services \ LanmanServer \ Parameters key, where you can add some values (on the right side) to make some interesting changes.
- Windows chokes traffic on networks with high latencies (delays).
To disable this feature, create a new DWORD value called " Disable Bandwidth Throttling " giving it a value of 1.
- The Windows system keeps a diagnostic tool on the TCP network protocol (see details).
To disable this diagnostics, create a DWORD value, give EnableWsd as a name and set it to 0.
- A PC caches data on the files and folders that are accessed.
Increasing the cache size causes more RAM usage but can reduce network traffic and improve connection speed.
Then add the following DWORD values: FileInfoCacheEntriesMax, DirectoryCacheEntriesMax and FileNotFoundCacheEntriesMax, setting them to values greater than the default values (64, 16 and 128 respectively).
6) The sixth trick I refer to another article on how to decrease network latency for a faster connection and less connection time (ping) .
7) Disable self-regulation of the receiving window and reserved bandwidth in Windows
After adding these parameters, reboot and see what happens, if not everything breaks (joke), see the effectiveness of these tricks to speed up the internet connection.
In case of problems, go back to the registry editor, delete the newly created DWORD values and restart so that everything returns as before.
In another article some automatic tools to optimize the internet connection were indicated .
Having said that, since no Italian site talks about it, let me know the results.
