8 ways to fix a Slow Network

Slow Network?

Slow Network

A slow network can be caused by many factors..

Here are 8 ways in which to resolve your slow Network Issue and try to speed things up or fault find..

  • Believe it or not sometimes a good old fashion reboot resolves many small issues. Powering down and restarting network hardware and all machines may refresh settings.
  • Powering up devices one at a time can also help in troubleshooting and detecting a problem computer or “weak link” on your network.
  • Try changing ports should your network consist of a switch or router as sometimes these ports go faulty. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your whole device is at fault however you should consider replacement soon.
  • If changing Ports on your devices doesn’t help try testing with a different/spare device to determine whether this is the culprit..
  • On Desktop machines, one could try re-installing or replacing network cards. These are normally relatively inexpensive and is a quick way to ensure your pc is not causing your slow network.
  • Mis-treated/old network cabling has also been known to cause intermittent issues at times. Try changing network cables just to eliminate this as a cause for your slow network.
  • Virus’s & Malware could easily cause a slow network and this is often a good place to start if hardware is not to blame. Try running scans to determine whether or not you have a clean network. We recommend products such as Eset’s Nod32 Antivirus or free spyware applications like Spybot – Search & Destroy or Malware Bytes. Please note that if setup incorrectly some of these applications can cause speed issues or certain applications to hang. If you are uncertain about using these applications rather call us and we will advise accordingly. For more advanced users also checkout Trend Micro’s hijack this or even housecall for a quick way to find and delete serious infections or rogue services.
  • Slow Internet does not necessarily mean that you have a slow network. If only your internet is slow this could be caused by many other issues however many of the above steps may apply. This could also be caused by Virus’s/malware however it may be worth checking with your provider first and testing hardware such as routers, adsl lines and other internet related devices.

For more advanced issues such as wireless troubleshooting and setup tips check back soon for our next blog or contact us for some advice.

The Computer Doc is always happy to assist..

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