T 'n' T: Mo' Dem Secrets Did This Page Load Quickly Enough for You? Gregg Keizer
Mon 8/26/02 -- We hear a lot about broadband DSL and cable connections, but the fact is, half of us still get on the Net with those molasses-in-January modems that take ages to connect and, once on, drag down bits to your browser about as fast as a crooked CEO returns the booty he boosted from his Chapter 11 corporation.
That's a lot of folks twiddling their thumbs or tapping their fingers on their desks. I can't help you get broadband -- my checkbook's flatter than a flounder right now -- but I can help you get the most out of your modem.
Driver right. Without the right driver, your modem is just a couple of stupid chips that wouldn't know how to dial if you showed them. Sometimes you need to find a custom-tailored rather than generic modem driver, or a more up-to-date driver than the one on your system now. (Or, if you have the trouble I did while reinstalling Windows on an old notebook recently, you just need to find a driver, any driver, that will work.)
Of course, you can head to your modem manufacturer's Web site for driver downloads, but I have a better answer: surf to any of several driver warehouses on the Web. Check out DriverGuide.com, PC Drivers Headquarters, Windows Driver Guide, and last but not least, internet.com's own deluxe WinDrivers.com site.
Faster connecting. You can slash your modem's delay in connecting to the Net by trimming part of the process it goes through each time you want the Web. In Windows 95 and 98, open My Computer and then the Dial-Up Networking folder. Right-click the connection, choose Properties, and click on the Server Types tab. Make sure the "Logon to Network" box is unchecked, and also that only one protocol -- TCP/IP -- is checked under "Allowed Network Protocols."
In Windows Me, right-click the connection, pick Properties, and click on the Networking tab. Check only the TCP/IP box under "Allowed Network Protocols." Next, click the Security tab and uncheck the "Logon to Network" box.
The procedure for Windows XP is a bit different: After right-clicking the connection and picking Properties, click the Options tab and uncheck the "Include Windows logon domain" box. Next, click the Networking tab and make sure only "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" is checked.
Stop dialing, darn it! If your modem dials out every time you open your browser -- and you don't want it to -- here's the simple solution: From the Start menu, choose Settings/Control Panel and open Internet Options (called just Internet if you're using IE 3.0 or earlier). Click the Connection tab, select "Never dial a connection" (for IE 3.0 or earlier, it's "Connect to the Internet using a local-area network"), and click OK.
Shut up the speaker. The screech-buzz-blat of a modem going online and connecting may comfort you, but it just irritates me. I don't need to hear it a dozen times a day. That's why I've turned off my modem's speaker.
Right-click your dial-up connection, pick Properties, select the modem from the "Connect using" list on the General tab, and click the Configure button. Clear the box "Enable modem speaker," then click OK here and in the next dialog.
If you have multiple connections (to several ISPs, for instance), you can turn off the modem speaker globally. From the Start menu, choose Settings/Control Panel and open Modems (called Phone and Modem Options in Windows XP). Select your modem and click the Properties button. In Windows XP, click the Modem tab (in all other versions, click the General tab). You'll see a slider under "Speaker volume"; move it all the way to the left (or, if you prefer, a lesser distance to lower the modem speaker volume rather than mute it entirely). Click OK here and in the next dialog.
Tweak for speed gains. Often you can boost your modem's performance by tweaking semi-secret networking settings within the Windows Registry. Although I've done this on my own, it's a drawn-out process involving lots of trial and error. Instead, I recommend you download one of the many modem tweakers that utility experts have created -- your time is better spent surfing, not setting offbeat options.
One of the best modem-optimizing utilities I've used is Throttle, which has the added advantage of costing $6 to $11 less than its shareware competition (it's $13.90). Throttle and its rivals provide simple interfaces to sophisticated modem settings.
