Lately, I've been having some internet problems that maybe some of the more IT savvy people on the forum can help out with.

I've narrowed it down to my desktop since I've done troubleshooting on wireless with my laptop as well as plugging my laptop in to the same wall port without issue.

The problem is that the internet will just hang for about a few minutes, then resume again when I browse websites or load streaming sites like youtube. My downloads stay constant, regardless of the state of my internet connection, and chat seems to be maintained fine. I've cleared my cache & cookies, tried other browsers like chrome and IE, ran spyware and anti-virus programs to no avail. I notice that this could have started happening shortly after I upgraded to a new Firefox version, but it shouldn't be a browser issue since chrome and IE won't respond as well.

Any thoughts?

 

Coming from a NON-IT guy.

If its only happening on one computer, then it probably to be related to that computer. If its a desk top, you are more likely to be able to swap out a ethernet port/adapter/modem thingy, than if it were a laptop, in theory. I would say you can try a complete system restore, which you should do every once in a while. If its a Mac, bring it to the genious bar, and have them fix it under apple care. If its not a Mac...get a Mac?

Wish I could be more help. But I think your method of process of elimination through hardware is always the best step. Cold try another modem on the internet side, but if your other devices work fine, blame the CPU-side.

 

i say it's the computer. to be more specific, the browsers. i think i've had the same situation before but all i did was reinstall the browsers and it was fine

 

As well as reinstalling the OS, for the sake of cleanliness.

 

thx for the quick replies. i'm 100% sure it's the computer since it's not the ISP (connection is fine on other computers) nor the cable (tried the cable on my laptop and it's fine).

i'm more thinking of suggestions regarding configurations to check.....i'll try to reinstall firefox and see if that fixes anything.

 

Professional IT Guy here.

Look in the event log for hard drive errors. They will be obvious. (Long shot but I've seen this exact scenario before.)

Sometimes Malware, specifically root kits, can be present on your PC even after you've run a "malware scan." Read through this link and if you are confident enough in your skills, run combo fix as instructed. Since you describe the symptom being present in all three of your browsers, my instincts (and experience) are telling me the problem is malware.

I can make more suggestions but this should keep you busy for a little while.

EDIT: One more thing, make sure you have ALL of your OS patches, particularly if you are running windows.

 

turned off my active protection for internet and it seems to be working better now (didn't know why I didn't think of it earlier). maybe it was preventing large amounts of data to be coming in at a time? still troubleshooting but will try daphatty's suggestion if this fails. thanks again!

 

coming from Geek Squad

could be malware... could be ethernet drivers. try updating the drivers first. Assuming its a pc, press the Windows button and R and type in devmgmt.msc. Expand the network adapters tree. look for the ethernet controller. Find out which manufacture it is (most likely intel, but could be others). Go to the manufacture website and look for the latest drivers. download and install.

 

Coming from Mac

Go drive your car

 

i wish i could.. T_T