Trouble downloading from swap pages?

[Super D]

Hello All,
I am having trouble downloading from the swap pages? When I am at work and download them there they ALL download fine? When I am at my home computer they start to download and just freeze? Can anyone help me with this issue I think it is a setting in the computer but I cannot figure it out for the life of me? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Dennis

[nemo_uk]

do you have the same browser and operating system and home and at work ?

[Super D]

I have Windows XP at work and I have Windows Vista at home. Thank you in advance for your help!
Dennis

[nemo_uk]

I'm guessing you are using IE 7 at home with vista? have gone through the windows update process ?

[Super D]

Correct I am currently using IE7 and have checked for updates, and im still running into trouble? I read on Flying giants that I needed to turn off the HTTP:1.1 feature under the internet properties and the advanced tab and still nothing? Thanks again!
Dennis

[nemo_uk]

Try downloading Firefox (http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/products/firefox/) and see if still happens with that ?

[Super D]

Ok I just tried firefox and it does the same thing it downloads 1.7mb of 3.8 aqnd just freezes? could it be an issue with my network?
Dennis

[nemo_uk]

sounds like it ...

http://www.eggheadcafe.com/software/aspnet/30994229/downloading-freezes-at-99.aspx

[opjose]

Typically file download freezing is a symptom of mismatched MTU settings.

What often happens is that XP is configured for a modem, that has a rather small message window.

Later the computer is connected to a LAN/WiFi network which provides internet access, but XP retains the modem's MTU settings.

Your access router may also be to blame.

It can see one setting for the ISP, but not match it for your protected network.

Many routers provide for this and let you set automatic or "manual" mtu settings.

Try entering 1500 for the manual MTU setting of your router to see if it cures the problem... then shutting down EVERYTHING, router, DSL/Cable modem, computer, etc...

and finally restarting router & DSL/Cable modem first, wait 5 minutes, then turn on the computer, etc.

[Super D]

Ok I just finished resetting the router and the modem I changed the MTU from Auto to 1500, and i reset evereything per your instructions! when I click on the downloads it downloads part of them then freezez? any additional ideas would be greatly apprecieated!! And again thank you to everyone for all of your help so far!!

Dennis

[opjose]

You may have to go the other way on this, I believe some routers need 1532 ( I forgot the exact figure ) to produce 1500.

You may also want to google for "Internet registry settings MTU cable modem" for some fixes to XP itself.

It sounds like you have a mismatch.

It also may be that your provider is using a relatively small window.

This is typical if you are using PPOE ( ugh! ).

Who is your ISP?

[Super D]

Thanks for all of the help I really apprecieate it!! My ISP is Cox Communications i'm not sure if it is a PPOE? How would I find that out?

[josh0987]

Yeah, I've been having this problem too! I looked at some registry fixes, but I did not fiddle with anything...

I am using the newest version of Mozilla FireFox.

With a Linksys router...

Also my Mbps sometimes likes to go from 54 to 48 to 36 to 18 to 11 to 1! :o VERY SLOW...

[Super D]

Yeah I am useing a lynksys router also but mine seems to have some knid of limiting feature because it will only go to 1.?? MB when the entire file is bigger than that? Im kind of at a loss?

[opjose]

Yeah, I've been having this problem too! I looked at some registry fixes, but I did not fiddle with anything...

I am using the newest version of Mozilla FireFox.

With a Linksys router...

Also my Mbps sometimes likes to go from 54 to 48 to 36 to 18 to 11 to 1! :o VERY SLOW...

If you are connected wirelessly then this is usually caused by local interference.

The client and access point are seeking data rates where the bit loss per packet drops.

You can often choose another channel on the AP ( try 11 first ) to fix this.

If you are NOT wirelessly connected and you seem to get variable rates, then others may be using your head-end connection point.

This is very typical of broadband connections where everything is like a big "party" line phone system...

Go to: http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/ and choose the city closest to you.

See what you get.

[opjose]

Thanks for all of the help I really apprecieate it!! My ISP is Cox Communications i'm not sure if it is a PPOE? How would I find that out?

Cox in what city?

[Super D]

Sorry it took me so long to reply I was out of town i did the speak easy test and here are the results:
Last Result:
Download Speed: 7575 kbps (946.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 315 kbps (39.4 KB/sec transfer rate)
I have cox out of Chandler Arizona

Thanks again I really apprecieate all of your help!

[opjose]

Your data rates are fine.

So I have to assume MTU mismatches or other packet losses.

I can't find anything specific on setting up a router for your installation but there are numerous reports about packet loss problems stemming from local wiring problems.

See:

http://www.dslreports.com/comments/1911?1=1&p=8

The problem is not here though. The downloads work fine.


You may want to try going to this link:

MTUPROBE (http://www.elifulkerson.com/projects/mturoute.php)

And downloading the MTUROUTE.EXE program.

Place the EXE file on the root of your C: drive

Then open a command prompt and type

CD \
mturoute www.knifeedge.com

You will get some error messages as it tries different packet sizes.

It will report the size that it finds for the current connection.

This can be used to help determine what needs to be adjusted.

Report back what the final line says.

e.g.

C:\>mturoute.exe www.knifeedge.com
* ICMP Fragmentation is not permitted. *
* Maximum payload is 10000 bytes. *
- ICMP payload of 5046 bytes failed..
- ICMP payload of 2569 bytes failed..
+ ICMP payload of 1330 bytes succeeded.
- ICMP payload of 1949 bytes failed..
- ICMP payload of 1639 bytes failed..
- ICMP payload of 1484 bytes failed..
+ ICMP payload of 1407 bytes succeeded.
+ ICMP payload of 1445 bytes succeeded.
+ ICMP payload of 1464 bytes succeeded.
- ICMP payload of 1474 bytes failed..
+ ICMP payload of 1469 bytes succeeded.
+ ICMP payload of 1471 bytes succeeded.
+ ICMP payload of 1472 bytes succeeded.
- ICMP payload of 1473 bytes failed..
+ ICMP payload of 1472 bytes succeeded.
+ ICMP payload of 1472 bytes succeeded.
Path MTU: 1500 bytes.

C:\>

[josh0987]

You can often choose another channel on the AP ( try 11 first ) to fix this. See what you get. I am using 11..

[tbelongia]

It seems awfully strange that I haven't had any problems downloading large files, even as large as a few hundred mb. But, I can't get most of the swap planes to download. Some do, some don't.
I haven't found any kind of pattern. I've gotten some large ones, and some small ones to download, so, I don't think it's size related. I've tried different computers, different operating systems, and still no luck.
Does anyone know why I'm only having problems here?
Does the attached mturoute mean anything?

[opjose]

It's probably your ISP.

We'd all be in the same boat as you if it were a problem with the KE server.

As it is only a handful of people have reported similiar problems.

You also might want to traceroute ( just like you did mturoute ) www.knifeedge.com.

I'll bet your flopping through a bunch of hops to get here...

[tbelongia]

Here's what I got from traceroute:
TraceRoute to 208.101.22.248 [knifeedge.com]

Hop (ms) (ms) (ms) IP Address Host name
1 0 0 0 66.98.244.1 gphou-66-98-244-1.ev1servers.net
2 0 0 0 66.98.241.12 gphou-66-98-241-12.ev1servers.net
3 0 0 0 66.98.240.10 gphou-66-98-240-10.ev1servers.net
4 0 0 0 38.112.25.21 gi0-5.na21.b015619-0.iah01.atlas.cogentco.com
5 1 1 1 66.28.6.141 gi4-0-2.core01.iah01.atlas.cogentco.com
6 1 1 1 154.54.2.202 te3-1.ccr02.iah01.atlas.cogentco.com
7 6 6 6 154.54.5.137 te3-3.ccr02.dfw01.atlas.cogentco.com
8 6 6 6 154.54.6.54 te4-3.ccr02.dfw03.atlas.cogentco.com
9 7 6 7 154.54.14.18 globalcrossing.dfw03.atlas.cogentco.com
10 9 9 9 64.215.81.2 te7-2.cer02.dal01.dallas-border.com
11 13 9 9 66.228.118.158 po52.fcr01.dal01.dallas-datacenter.com
12 9 9 9 208.101.22.248 www.knifeedge.com

I still don't understand why of all the places I download from, knifeedge is the only problem I have. I can understand that there could be a problem with the way my ISP does things, and I'm willing to concede that point IF you can tell me why I don't have any problems downloading from anywhere else.
I appreciate the help, it just frustrates me trying to figure out why. Is it possible that I'm only having problems with a couple of the planes? Most all of other planes I try seem to work fine.

[opjose]

It can well be the "path" you effectively take to get to KE.

Somewhere along the way packets are being dropped or there is too much latency...

I go through MANY more "hops" than you do and I have no problems uploading or downloading anything here.

[pdmarsh]

I came across this old thread when trying to find help downloading swap files from this site. It seems that maybe 1/3 of the files I attempt to download freeze. What's odd is that it's always the same files and they freeze at the same place every time I try, e.g. at 38%. While the problem could very well be related to my ISP, or my router, or whatever, I have never had this kind of problem with downloads from any other site. Is it just possible that the problem is on the KnifeEdge side?

Thanks,
Paul

[jeffpn]

What file are you trying to download? If it was a problem on the KE side, everyone would have troubles.

[pdmarsh]

jeffpn,

Here's an example. This one always freezes at 64%...

F-4 (http://knifeedge.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=6922)

I don't necessarily agree that just because others don't have trouble that the problem can't be related to this site. The problem is awfully consistent to KE. I have never experienced similar download issues from other sites. Perhaps there's something about the way KE is set up that it's not as universally functional as other sites. Perhaps not, but it's possible.

Paul

[jeffpn]

I downloaded the file in about 3 seconds. Do you want me to send it to you, just for kicks? PM me your email address.

[pdmarsh]

Sent PM. Thanks.

Paul

[opjose]

I have never had this kind of problem with downloads from any other site. Is it just possible that the problem is on the KnifeEdge side?



Nope...

The problem is on your side.

The server is sending out a packet stream to your machine, but somewhere along the way, you computer is not receiving or acknowledging one of those packets.

Common causes for this are:

- Viruses
- Hard drive or subsystem problems
- MTU mismatches
- Excessive internet packet latency
- Corrupt TCP/IP stack software
- Driver problems.

[jeffpn]

He couldn't download it from an alternate source either.

[pdmarsh]

Just out of curiousity, why is the problem only showing up with certain files, always the same files and they stop at exactly the same spot each attempt. What is it about a given packet of information in a given file that is causing this to happen so consistently?

P.S. -- I just tried a little experiment. I used that alternate site to transfer other files that I had successfully downloaded from KE. I can upload and download them just fine. I'll bet if you were to post another file from KE that I can't download from here, I won't be able to download it from the alternate site either. My point is that the problem seems to be file-specific. It is not random. I'm not saying the problem isn't on my end somehow, but this is just so odd.

P.P.S. -- I tried to download this particular file on another computer from both KE directly and from the alternate site. No go, so it's not machine specific. However, the other PC is on the same network.

[Norton]

More info, Please.

[pdmarsh]

More info, Please.

Huh? Can you be specific in what info you are looking for?

Edit: Sorry tnorton, I'm letting my frustration come through.

[jeffpn]

Dollars to donuts the problem is mentioned in post #29. Yes, it gets into things not normally manually configured, but the problem is going to be something like what is mentioned in that post.

[Norton]

New one to me mate? Doesn't look like a isp problem.

[pdmarsh]

Dollars to donuts the problem is mentioned in post #29. Yes, it gets into things not normally manually configured, but the problem is going to be something like what is mentioned in that post.

Hi jeffpn,

I suppose so, but we can rule out any machine-specific causes such as a virus or corrupt files since the problem is exactly duplicated, to the % download of the same files, on another PC. I guess it's router or ISP related, but why such consistency with given files? Is there something about a specific packet of info that a router or ISP won't like to handle? I wonder if the others who have had this problem would have it with the same files as well.

Oh well. I think I can live without these particular airplanes!

I appreciate the help, though.

Paul

[jeffpn]

It'd be interesting to see if you can latch on to a neighbor's wifi and download the file, especially if they use a different provider than you.

[pdmarsh]

It'd be interesting to see if you can latch on to a neighbor's wifi and download the file, especially if they use a different provider than you.

Ahh, great minds think alike! :) I already tried that, but much to my disappointment there are no other wifi's in the area, at least none broadcasting.

[opjose]

FYI:

It may seem to be happening at the same point because of something at your router or your ISP's head end.

e.g. some ISP's prefetch download data for the end user... Comcast terms this their "speed booster" feature. At the point that the prefetch queue is depleted you may be experiencing packet loss.... but this is just one scenario out of many possible.

The bottom line is that you would have probably seen this with other downloads from other sites, it's co-incidental that the downloads for KE were the ones to reveal the problem to you.

We've had one or two people here with similiar problems in the past, and it has always turned out to be something ISP related or local to their systems.

[pdmarsh]

FYI:

Comcast terms this their "speed booster" feature.

Interesting. The ISP I happen to be on at the moment is Comcast. Hmm.

Paul

[opjose]

Do this...

Turn off your computer(s).

Turn off your router.

Unplug the Comcast modem from it's power source for 20 seconds.

Plug the Comcast modem back in.

Wait 20 seconds, turn on your router, wait 2 minutes.

Turn on your computer.

Try your download again.

Also before you do this go to http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest and perform the test. Write down what you get.

Run the test again AFTER you do what I mentioned above.

You should see a significant difference.

Let us know how it goes.