Cable Modems and WindowsXP

Well so far I am thrilled to death with XP. It is unbelievably stable and has not crashed on me a single time in the month I have been using it which is more than I can say for a new install of an OS I have tried by windows. Unfortuantely, I was using ME ahead of this and was getting Download/upload speeds on my modem of 3000/256 more or less. Then mysteriously we were playing with the Internet Connection Sharing and it dropped to about 120/120 called Cox cable and got a run around forever. Finally last night I was testing my computer at a website and couldn’t get the ping stuff to work correctly so I took off the firewall and suddenly I was back up to like 1600/200 or so. While, I am super super happy that it is at least doing this, I would really like to keep my old speeds and have my firewall.

If there is anyone out there that had this prob and knows what to do or is just familiar enough with this stuff they know anyways I would really appreciate the help.

Thanks.

OK, I’ll bite. What firewall are you using? Is it ZoneAlarm? Is it the latest version?

A lot of programs out there seems to be having some “quirks” with XP, but most of these vendors are rapidly issuing updates to fix this. I would check out your firewall’s website and look for an update.

XP has its own software firewall built in. Reports say its substansially less effective than ZoneAlarm or Norton Firewall, but better than nothing. I don’t know the specifics, but I’d assume that the OP was refering to the XP firewall on his system.

It is also possible he/she is using the firewall that comes built in to Windows XP. Obviously we need more detail.

Also, detail on the specs of the PC you are using would be helpful. In addition, detail on the policies your firewall is running might be useful.

OK I guess I didn’t think about that yes windowsXP comes with its own Firewall and yes that is what I had turned on when it dropped me to an even 120/120 connection instead of my normal 3000/256 connection.

Oh yeah and WindowsXP is the first OS by windows I have installed on my computer that has been running for over a month without ONE SINGLE CRASH! Talk about stability!!! And all my drivers were supported

If you want to share the high speed DSL cable connection with other PCs in your house I can recommend the 4 port Linksys Etherfast Router-Hub ($100 - $125). It has a built in firewall and will not slow connections down in the slightest. I have three PCs connected to it and all the connections are blazing. Staples currently has a deal for this router/hub + 2 NICS and a cable for free via rebate with the purchase of Windows XP.