Problem with upload speeds

[CNash]

I've been having problems uploading files for over a year now, and I still haven't found any way of fixing the problem.

The problem, in a nutshell, is that when I try to FTP files to my webspace (not NTL's webspace), my upload speed starts off at 1kb/sec and drops rapidly down to 0, by which point my software has given up trying to upload it. It's not a problem with my FTP client or my file server; the problem happens when attaching files to e-mail and when uploading files via web browsers as well.

I'm on the 1MB service, using an STB with Ethernet, in an ex-CWC area. ASDLGuide's speed test reported upload speeds of 60-80Kbps, which seems to indicate that everything is ok - when it's clearly not.

I've talked to NTL technical support; they can find nothing wrong with my connection, and are at a loss as to why this is happening. I've tried several different NTL proxies, and none of them make any difference. Needless to say, I've scanned for viruses and spyware. I use ZoneAlarm as my firewall, but the upload speeds are the same whether it's on or off.

Finally, my OS and computer specs: Windows XP SP2, running on an Intel Celeron 2.6GHz processor, with 248 MB of RAM.

I'd really, really like to be able to upload stuff again... does anyone have any suggestions?

[homealone]

hi :welcome:

the problem with FTP won't be proxy related, as they only cache traffic on port 80.

- have you tried an FTP upload to your NTL webspace, is it the same slow behaviour?

Have you tried a tracert to your webspace?

[Mick Fisher]

Zone Alarm has proven to be the cause of loads and loads of "unsolvable and illogical" issues over the years.

Get it off your PC and try again. You never know and it can't hurt.

Here's a good free firewall in case you need it.
http://www.kerio.com/dwn/kpf2-en-win.exe

[CNash]

Homealone: my problem isn't strictly FTP related, it affects all uploading from my machine to the internet. My NTL webspace has exactly the same problem, as I thought it would. Tracert has no problems getting through, but I'm inexperienced with tracert and don't know exactly what I should be looking for; here's the output:

Tracing route to prcaps.zidev.com [66.197.201.70]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 26 ms 18 ms 13 ms 10.48.112.1
2 10 ms 12 ms 27 ms brom-t2cam1-a-ge-wan34-109.inet.ntl.com [80.1.22
6.21]
3 11 ms 16 ms 10 ms brom-t2core-a-ge-wan61.inet.ntl.com [80.1.225.5]

4 10 ms 21 ms 11 ms pop-bb-a-so-130-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.184.105]

5 18 ms 13 ms 15 ms nth-bb-b-so-400-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.172.13]

6 21 ms 22 ms 54 ms tele-ic-1-so-700-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.184.2]
7 17 ms 35 ms 17 ms cr02.ldn01.pccwbtn.net [195.66.224.167]
8 104 ms 118 ms 100 ms hostnoc.ge3-0.2.cr01.phl02.pccwbtn.net [63.218.3
1.6]
9 156 ms 126 ms 108 ms ge1-oc48-1-0-ctsi.rtr0.scr1.hostnoc.net [66.197.
191.1]
10 108 ms 115 ms 109 ms 669619370.webbserv.net [66.197.201.70]

Mick: I'll try removing ZoneAlarm, but I seem to recall the problem happening before I first started using it.

Oh, forgot to mention: It probably isn't a Windows problem, as I've reformatted and reinstalled my entire PC at least once, and that's failed to fix the problem. In fact, I've used a bootable Linux distro and had the same problem.... damn, why didn't I remember that?! This now suggests to me that it's a hardware, rather than software, problem - and if it is, it'll either be my STB (which NTL swear is working perfectly) or my on-board Ethernet card.

Tell me, can I ring up NTL and request that they send me a cable modem instead of using my STB to connect?

---------- Post added at 21:40 ---------- Previous post was at 21:34 ----------

Right, ZoneAlarm isn't the cause - it's been uninstalled and the problem's still there.

If only I had access to another computer, I could test it out with my connection and see if it's my computer's hardware that's at fault - but I have no friends with laptops, or ones that would be willing to lug their system unit around.