I just got ADSL: Now what?

Roger Smith6 MemberOP

30 messages
joined Sep 2003

#1 · Nov 26, 2005

Greetings everyone

I just finally got my ADSL set up! Whoooho!
So, if you could, please suggest a good firewall and some kind of software to monitor my data usage/traffic volume.
Also, let me know if there are any other essential programs I should have...
I haven't really had a need for this stuff until now...

Oh, right—I am looking specifically for Windows XP compatible software.

Thanks,
Roger Smith6

Sandra Williams70 Member

45 messages
joined Jun 2010

#2 · Nov 26, 2005

If you have unlimited data, just grab LimeWire and start downloading movies and music.

Your traffic status is listed right there on the AT&T pages—plus, you've got the built-in XPima firewall, and you can toggle the AT&T one on their site too; honestly, one should be plenty.

crimsonraven17 Newcomer

7 messages
joined Mar 2008

#3 · Nov 26, 2005

So, what now...
Nashville...
Complain all you want about those utility hikes...😁

Roger Smith6 MemberOP

30 messages
joined Sep 2003

#4 · Nov 26, 2005

What kind of rule is this where people kick off a thread with absolute nonsense right after I asked a legitimate question?🙄

darkviper7 Member

25 messages
joined Jan 2008

#5 · Nov 26, 2005

Roger Smith6 said:Hey everyone,

I just finally got ADSL set up! Whoooho!
So, now that I'm online: could you guys please suggest a good firewall and maybe some software to track my data usage?
And if there's anything else essential I should grab...
I haven't really needed much until now, I guess...

Oh yeah, I'm looking specifically for stuff that runs on Windows XP.

Thanks!
Roger Smith6

ZoneAlarm Pro and MAXmetar

Brian Moore2 Active Member

93 messages
joined Jan 2003

#6 · Nov 26, 2005

Let me jump in here with a question regarding my AT&T connection.

How on earth do I configure my system to boot up faster in Windows? It takes nearly a full minute before I can actually get anything done, whereas on Linux, there’s absolutely none of this waiting around!!

Anonymous Veteran

3.6K messages
joined May 2005

#7 · Nov 26, 2005

John Doe said:I wanted to jump in here and ask a quick question about my AT&T connection.

How can I get my system to boot up faster on Windows? It takes nearly a full minute before I can actually get anything done, but when I'm running Linux, there’s basically zero wait time.

start-->run-->msconfig-->tab startup.

Just go in there and disable everything you don't absolutely need.

Brian Moore2 Active Member

93 messages
joined Jan 2003

#8 · Nov 26, 2005

e.gor_the_master said:type start, then run, then msconfig, and hit the startup tab.

Just disable everything you don't absolutely need.

I've got nothing running in my Silicon Valley startup list except for my antivirus software. 😉

The slowdown I'm seeing is clearly an issue with my AT&T connection—so how on earth am I supposed to fix that? 😉

Anthony Bailey30 Newcomer

5 messages
joined Jun 2005

#9 · Nov 27, 2005

What on earth would anyone say if you were using a USB DSL adapter plugged into a USB 1.1 port instead of a USB 2.0 port? That alone is enough to bottleneck the whole damn thing!

If you were actually using a USB-based Ethernet device, you wouldn't be running into these specific headaches in the first place...

But hold on—before you go down that rabbit hole, you really ought to verify whether the issue is truly coming from the DSL connection itself. It is entirely possible that some random service within Windows has decided to "temporarily" crash, effectively paralyzing your entire machine. You’re basically stuck waiting until Windows realizes that this broken service has finally crossed the line, times it out, and finally allows the system to boot up properly.

Generally speaking, those agonizingly slow boot times are frequently caused by the system trying to launch various services that aren't even remotely "critical" to the operation of the PC.

Arthur Anderson49 Active Member

127 messages
joined Nov 2007

#10 · Nov 27, 2005

I honestly don't get it—why on earth does everyone feel the need to reboot their system constantly? Personally, I just shut my PC down whenever I'm swapping out hardware, and I'll hit restart if I'm running some kind of installation. On average, that's maybe once every two weeks. And honestly, I couldn't care less whether it takes five seconds or five minutes to boot up! Seriously though, why do people even bother turning their computers off?

rowdyviper3 Newcomer

1 message
joined Jul 2005

#11 · Nov 27, 2005

Arthur Anderson49 said:Why on earth do people actually shut down their computers?

To save a few cents on the electric bill, I guess...

😁 😁 😁 😁

Brian Moore2 Active Member

93 messages
joined Jan 2003

#12 · Nov 27, 2005

Anthony Bailey30 said:What are you going to do if you're using a USB AT&T device plugged into a USB 1.1 port instead of USB 2.0? That kind of thing will absolutely throttle the whole setup.

If you were using a USB Ethernet adapter, you wouldn't be dealing with any of this nonsense...

But look, before you go blaming hardware, you really need to check if this is actually an issue with the AT&T connection, or if some random service in Windows decided to "temporarily" crash. You know how it goes—the whole machine just hangs there, refusing to function normally until Windows finally realizes that the broken service has gone completely off the rails, hits a timeout, and finally decides to boot up properly.

Generally speaking, system slowdowns during boot-up are frequently caused by certain services trying to launch that aren't even remotely "critical" to the OS.

I don't have anything connected via USB; my AT&T line goes straight into the network card. When I unplug the cable from the computer, Windows boots up instantly. But the second that cable is plugged in, everything drags.😉

Kenneth Murphy5 Member

10 messages
joined Feb 2016

#13 · Nov 27, 2005

My mom is running into the exact same issue, except she isn't even on an AT&T connection—she’s just part of the same local network as my friend. It takes forever for the system to boot up, too. By the way, what are your computer specs? Honestly, if you have at least a little bit of RAM, you should be fine.

Roger Smith6 MemberOP

30 messages
joined Sep 2003

#14 · Nov 27, 2005

thanks!

For what it's worth, I haven't noticed any slowdown on my end; it's still running just as fast as it ever did.

Karen Garcia5 Member

10 messages
joined Jan 2012

#15 · Nov 27, 2005

e.gor_the_master said:Hit Start, type in msconfig, and head over to the Startup tab.

Just turn off everything you don't need. I guess that's about it.

You don't clear stuff out of your startup list like that. You need to use a real program for that. I guess. 🙂 It’s got nothing to do with AT&T.

Anthony Bailey30 said:What happens if you're using a USB DSL modem plugged into a USB 1.1 port instead of a USB 2.0 one? I guess it’s pretty obvious that the whole thing is going to crawl. It'll probably bottleneck everything.

Nah, doesn't make sense. 🙂

Kenneth Murphy5 said:My buddy is running into the exact same issue. He isn't even using AT&T; he’s just hooked up to his friend's network. It takes just as long to boot up, too. I guess if you don't have much RAM, that's just how it goes.

Not enough RAM. 😁

From what I can tell, everyone using an AT&T modem is running into the exact same issue, regardless of how many service providers they use. It probably wouldn't hurt to file a formal complaint with the water department. 😁 I doubt there’s anything you can actually do here. 🙂

amberorca192 Active Member

118 messages
joined Oct 2005

#16 · Nov 27, 2005

Roger Smith6 said:Hey everyone.

Just finally got my AT&T connection set up! John Doe!

I've got it too, but I'm not trying to flex on anyone.🙂

Anthony Bailey30 Newcomer

5 messages
joined Jun 2005

#17 · Nov 27, 2005

Thomas Hernandez21 said:From what I can gather, everyone using an Ethernet modem is running into this exact same headache, regardless of how many services they have running... you really ought to file a formal complaint with the local utility board 😁 though I highly doubt there is much you can actually do about it 🙂

What I find most fascinating is that my own experience has been the complete opposite—I’m using an Ethernet ADSL modem plugged straight into a network card or a router, so I don't have to sit around waiting for Windows to finish booting up... because of that, following the logic of my own past frustrations, I've concluded that we are likely looking at a USB modem struggling on an outdated USB port.

My humblest apologies... NOOOT! 🙂

Given how little information has been shared, it's difficult to provide a definitive answer... however, when Windows boots up slowly, it is almost always due to some sort of conflict between services or perhaps certain programs taking far too long to initialize during startup...

Karen Garcia5 Member

10 messages
joined Jan 2012

#18 · Nov 28, 2005

Anthony Bailey30 said:The weird part is my setup is actually the exact opposite. I’m using an ADSL modem via Ethernet, plugged straight into the NIC or a router—so I don't have to wait for Windows to boot up just to get a connection. Based on what I've seen before, I figured this was probably just some old USB modem running on a slow legacy port.

My sincerest apologies... NOT. 🙂

Not enough data here to give a real answer. But, I guess when Windows boots slowly, it's usually just some service or background program taking forever to initialize.

I could do that too. 😁 Just hit the login screen, wait a minute, log in, and I'm online instantly. 😁

Anthony Bailey30 Newcomer

5 messages
joined Jun 2005

#19 · Nov 28, 2005

Thomas Hernandez21, let’s not descend into bickering over trivialities right now, shall we? 😠

Are you actually logging in yourself?
Because I certainly don't have to... 🙂

Karen Garcia5 Member

10 messages
joined Jan 2012

#20 · Nov 28, 2005

Mad Dog said:Thomas Hernandez21, let's not get bogged down in stupid arguments right now 😠

Are you even logging in?
I don't have to... 🙂

Come on, nobody's fighting. I'm just adding to the thread... erm... debating 😁

Only the real ones bother logging in 😎 😁

I just got ADSL: Now what?

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