Constant bandwidth usage

[AlexRD]

Hi,
So i have a program that measures bandwidth and its reporting that i am downloading at full speed (1.2 mb/s ) all the time, and i think its accurate as my internet feels really slow. I double checked i wasn't downloading anything, and that all of the updates were on idle, but there is still traffic. What should i do?

Also, i noticed a ridiculous drop from 250 GB to 217 GB of free space.


Thanks,
Alex.

Edit: The free space drop is gone, its showing 250 GB but the bandwidth is still a problem

 

[Ztruker]

Do you run any P2P software like Kaza, Bearshare, etc? Do you have a Torrent client installed?

Any of these can use a lot of network bandwidth,m even when you are not actively using them.

How does it behave if you boot to Safe Mode with Networking? If better then something is starting at boot that is causing the problem.

Advanced startup options - XP
Advanced startup options - Vista
Advanced startup options - Windows 7

Use msconfig to determine what is causing the problem

These are good tutorials on using msconfig in XP, Vista or Windows 7:
How to use msconfig in Windows XP
How to use msconfig in Windows Vista
How to use msconfig in Windows 7

Click on Start then Run, type msconfig and press Enter.
Click on the Startup tab, record what is currently starting then click the Disable All button.
Reboot and see if it runs better.
If yes then use msconfig to enable several items at a time till you find the culprit.

If no, start msconfig and click on the Services tab.
Check the Hide All Microsoft Services box, record what is currently starting then click the Disable All button.
Again, do a regular boot, see if it runs normal.
If yes then use msconfig to enable services till you find the culprit.

Once you've found the culprit, uninstall it or find out how to eliminate it from your system. Simply disabling it in msconfig is a temporary fix at best.
Enable everything else you disabled.