Speed up your slow broadband internet

1. 1
   Identify what speed you are supposed to be provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This is important, because your slow connection could be due to a problem on their end, not yours. This should be on your bill. If you don't have a bill handy, you can check the ISP's website or contact them directly to find out.
2. 2
   Conduct a speed test online. This should get you results close to what your ISP is supposed to provide. If you get a low result, try another computer on your network first. If both get a low result, contact your ISP. If only yours has a problem, the problem lies with the computer.
3. 3
   Eliminate needless programs. Your Internet connection requires memory to be able to be at the speed your are paying for. If your computer is bogged down by programs you don't need, your connection will go slower. Close programs you aren't using.
4. 4
   Do a virus and spyware scan. Viruses and spyware also use up memory which can contribute to a connection appearing slow. Run a thorough or complete scan of each even if you have it on and scanning. These will catch additional items. See below if you need either of these programs for free virus and spyware scanning programs.
5. 5
   Consider a different browser. Most people use Internet Explorer, which while a decent browser, does also use a lot of resources. Many websites also have elements to them that use more memory. Firefox has many extensions that allow for the ability to block elements such as JavaScript, advertisements, Flash, and other things until you enable them. Google Chrome, while new, uses very little memory and can also be good for sites that have a lot of javascript and flash.
6. 6
   Check your firewalls, you could have a SOA. Make sure you don't have more than one firewall running. If you do, uninstall the second because you do not need it.
7. 7
   Check your free space. If your hard drive is nearly full, take files you don't use often and either burn them to CD or DVD or delete them. Your computer uses free hard drive space as virtual memory, so a full hard drive will slow down your computer and your connection.
8. 8
   Run a disk defragmentation. This should be done once every two weeks. It will improve your overall performance which can only help your Internet connection.
9. 9
   Remove Unwanted Add-ons, Extensions and Plugins. Using too many plugins or add-ons on your internet browser will make it difficult to perform instant page loads on your windows PC. Therefore you can try disabling these unnecessary plug-ins and add-ons to gain better browsing and downloading speed. To turn off add-ons on Google Chrome, Go to Customize > Tools > Extensions and disable unwanted plugins and restart Chrome to take effect. To turn off add-ons on Firefox, Go to Tools > Add-ons and disable both unwanted add-ons and plugins and restart Firefox to take effect. To turn off Internet Explorer add-ons, Go to Tools > Manage Add-ons and disable unwanted add-ons and restart IE to take effect. For other browsers you'll find similar one to add-ons and disable unnecessary ones of them.
10. 10
    Consider a computer upgrade. An older computer may not have the power to make use of many things on the Internet now. Even something as simple as a RAM (Random Access Memory) upgrade could help, but if your computer is more than five years old, it may be time to consider getting a newer model.