Internet slow on all circumstances

Hello,

My internet is barely working, to the point of being unusable (1Mb taking over an hour to download). It all started when I decided to do a fresh install on my windows 7.

I have the original windows 7 home sp1 disc and latest bootcamp drivers for my machine, which is a mid-2011 iMac. Before installing I wiped and then recreated the windows partition to make sure I’d get a clean install. I haven’t installed anything so far other than bootcamp drivers from a usb stick, so there’s no software nor spyware eating by bandwidth.

I’ve tried to go wired and wireless, as well as wireless through a WiFi usb dongle (I disabled both internal cards before doing that), and even via my phone’s Bluetooth. I also tried ditching the router and connecting directly to the cable modem. Nothing worked, same results: internet does “work”, but speeds are just ridicule.

I have 2 other computers at home running windows and they work just fine. Mine was working fine before the reinstall and it still works perfectly under MacOS. My phone and iPad also work fine on my network.

My ping times are awesome, at 13ms to nearby domains, it’s just the download speed that’s terrible.

I even tried to run windows in safe mode with networking but that didn’t work either. I also tried to update .NET through a usb stick drive, but that didn’t solve the issue. I’ve reinstalled windows 3 times after that. I’m clueless.

Would anybody please shine a light?

Thank you

Best
Eduardo

Boot your computer with a Linux Live DVD. If the problem exists also in Linux, then there is a hardware problem with your computer. If, however, you can surf the web just fine in Linux, then it is a Windows problem.

Go to http://www.linuxmint.com and download one of the ISO files (click one of the download links). Then create a DVD from the ISO and boot from the DVD. This will put you in Linux Mint, but so far it hasn't installed anything to your hard drive. Now surf the web using Firefox, and compare the speed to how it is in Windows.

Thank you for your help. As I wrote, this is an iMac and on MacOS the internet works just fine. Both ethernet and wireless. On win7 itself they worked fine prior to the reinstall, last week. I also wrote that I tested a WiFi dongle that works on other computer and it didn’t work on my fresh win7 either (I used its original win7 drivers). So this is definitely not a hardware problem... :-(

Nobody else has any clues?

Please note that I am unfamiliar with iMac.

When you say "I even tried to run windows in safe mode with networking but that didn’t work either". What do you mean? Trying to use a browser for DLing? Or what. How are you testing? If browser, only one? Which?

If you have installed no other SW then clearly it is something with Windows - most likely

It operated exactly the same after all 3 windows re-installs?

This install is loading windows 7 home sp1? With no other Windows Updates?

Are DNS and other internet related settings the same on the Mac side as the Windows side?

Were it me, I would install Complete Internet Repair from

Download Complete Internet Repair and fix the Internet

Set a restore point first and select the top 5 check boxes. When my net access has been Borked (Win 7 Pro -64) for what ever reason, 9 times out of 10 this gets me going.

Was the PC working ok using windows before? If so, why do a "fresh install"?

townsbg said:

How did you set up your dual boot? Did you run the boot camp program from the DVD that came with your computer? Did you update the bootcamp program and the drivers using apple update? What antivirus/antisyware and firewalls have you installed? Have you updated windows and installed SP1? Did you install any drivers through Windows update? Have tried disabling each device (ethernet and wireless) one at a time to see if your speed improved? What browser are you using and what version?

I ran the bootcamp utility from within MacOS. I downloaded the latest drivers in a single executable file from Apple website to a usb drive to use it in windows (internet isn’t functioning within windows to do that from there). I have not installed anything on windows 7, as I can’t download anything to begin with. My windows update can’t download updates because it tries forever and eventually times out, however my windows 7 original DVD is SP1. I’m using the original IE that came with windows (which I think is 8.0). I also downloaded the Chrome installer within MacOS and ran it in windows (via usb drive), but once it tries to download Chrome itself it show it would take 14 hours to complete and then I quit it. Yes, I tried disabling each network card one by one, I also tried to disable ipv6. Thank you for your help.

JoWazzoo said:

Please note that I am unfamiliar with iMac.

When you say "I even tried to run windows in safe mode with networking but that didn’t work either". What do you mean? Trying to use a browser for DLing? Or what. How are you testing? If browser, only one? Which?

If you have installed no other SW then clearly it is something with Windows - most likely

It operated exactly the same after all 3 windows re-installs?

This install is loading windows 7 home sp1? With no other Windows Updates?

Are DNS and other internet related settings the same on the Mac side as the Windows side?

Were it me, I would install Complete Internet Repair from

Download Complete Internet Repair and fix the Internet

Set a restore point first and select the top 5 check boxes. When my net access has been Borked (Win 7 Pro -64) for what ever reason, 9 times out of 10 this gets me going.

Was the PC working ok using windows before? If so, why do a "fresh install"?

By using Windows in safe mode with networking I mean pressing F8 during boot and choosing such option.

I’m using IE, I think version 8, that came with windows 7 SP1. I tried to install Chrome (I downloaded the installer within MacOS to a usb stick), but the installer would take 14 hours to complete the download, so I quit it. I tried several times.

My original windows 7 DVD is Home SP1. I can’t download any updates as internet isn’t working properly. The update utility tries to connect but it eventually times out after a while.

Windows behaves exactly the same after each time I try to install it, which means nothing works until I install the bootcamp drivers (vga video, no sound, no networking at all).

I suppose my DNS settings are the same, I’ll take a look when I get home. I’ll also try this SW you mentioned.

Yes I do feel like an idiot as I should have left things as they were. But you know... windows is always faster after a fresh install. After so many time with lists of software being installed and removed I felt it needed a total clean up. If only I knew.

The “complete internet repair” software didn’t work.

I tried the driver booster utility (I downloaded it on MacOS and put it in a usb stick).

After running, it shows me that several drivers are way out of date (including chipset and networking), however I can’t download newer ones as the internet doesn’t work. It doesn’t disclose where it gets its drivers from either.

I’m trying to find a free alternative that lets me save a download list to perform in another machine.

PS: I did get latest drivers from Apple.