Member Avatar for djm123

Hmm Tell me what else I can check, I use Dial Up at work with above listed software & machine. Upon start up, it takes time to bring up the desktop ????

Then on the net, pages are slow, quite frequent disconnects...Tied into my companies server????? People tell me its dial up, I dont buy it????

I clean temp files, cache, ect.,

Any thoughts?

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This looks like two related but distinct problems: a sluggish boot-to-desktop and slow/unstable web on dial‑up. Don’t assume the line is the only culprit — local system issues (hardware, drivers, malware, or background programs) commonly make an already-slow dial‑up experience feel much worse. ’s and ’s pointers about startup items were on the right track; dig deeper than the visible Start menu items to isolate the root cause.

Quick, practical checks for the slow startup:

  • Boot into Safe Mode with Networking or create a temporary user to see if the delay follows the profile or the machine.
  • Watch CPU, Memory and Disk activity in Task Manager at logon; heavy paging or long disk queues point to low RAM or a failing/fragmented HDD.
  • Run chkdsk /f and sfc /scannow, and run the drive maker’s SMART diagnostics to rule out a failing disk. If disk/ram are constrained, free space or a RAM upgrade will help noticeably.

Checks specific to dial‑up slowness and disconnects:

  • Run a continuous ping to a stable numeric IP (for example ping -t 8.8.8.8) to spot latency spikes or packet loss independent of DNS.
  • Test the same phone line with another phone/modem or at another location to rule out line noise or wiring.
  • Update the modem driver from Dell or the modem vendor, and disable any power‑saving option that might suspend the modem in Device Manager.
  • Inspect the System Event Log around disconnect times for RAS/PPP errors; those event messages often point to line vs. driver problems.
  • Temporarily change DNS to a public resolver to rule out slow name resolution (see Google Public DNS docs).

Tools and last steps:

  • Use Autoruns and TCPView to find hidden startup items and unexpected network clients (Autoruns, TCPView).
  • Run a full updated anti‑malware scan (Malwarebytes or similar) before disabling anything essential.
  • If diagnostics point to the phone line or ISP, escalate to ISP tech support with ping logs and Event Viewer timestamps.

If these targeted checks don’t isolate the issue, capture the exact Event Viewer entries and ping traces and post them — they usually reveal whether the fault is local hardware/drivers or the dial‑up path.

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Member Avatar for pcschrottie

Maybe check your system start folder:

Start->run->enter 'cmd' and hit enter

Then go to the 'System Start' folder and uncheck all programs that don't need to be started automatically during startup.

Michael

Member Avatar for DMR

Upon start up, it takes time to bring up the desktop

That could just be due to the amount and/or type of programs that you have configured to run automatically when Windows starts up. Things like anti-virus programs obviously should be auto-started, but you can cut down on your startup time by not auto-loading components related to AIM/AOL, MSN Messenger, RealPlayer, Winamp, Yahoo Messenger, etc.

I use Dial Up at work... Then on the net, pages are slow, quite frequent disconnects...Tied into my companies server????? People tell me its dial up, I dont buy it????

Hang on here- you use dial-up at work to connect to your work's server?? Do you work from an off-site location or something like that? If not, that sounds like a very strange network setup your company has there.

Dial-up is dial-up. Regardless of what server(s) you are connecting to at the other end of the line, you're still at the mercy of the possible limitations that can plague the wiring infrastructure between you and your destination (age/quality of the physical wiring, line noise, etc.).

Member Avatar for DMR

Maybe check your system start folder:

Start->run->enter 'cmd' and hit enter

Then go to the 'System Start' folder and uncheck all programs that don't need to be started automatically during startup.

Michael

Hrm??

Did you mean "Start->run->enter 'msconfig' and hit enter... Then go to the 'startup' tab?

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