Your downloads have slowed to a crawl, which is not good for many reasons. The most important one is that you can’t get the files that you want and need. You probably can’t afford to rush out and buy a new computer whenever download speeds slow. Here’s what you can do instead: increase download speed to squeeze more life out of your aging computer.
Tips to Increase Download Speed
1. Use A Download Accelerator
You should download and use a download accelerator. It may be free or freemium. Now, click “run” to run the program. Once the program launches, it will integrate with your browser. You should notice things speeding up after that.
2. Upgrade Your Internet Connection
Sometimes, the problem is your Internet connection. Try upgrading it. If you’re moving across a six mb line, try upgrading your service to 12 or 24 down. That will immediately improve your download speeds. Yeah, it’s going to cost more to upgrade your service. Look at it this way: it’s a cost-benefit analysis.
You can choose between faster downloads at a higher price point and slower downloads that are easier on your pocketbook.
3. Update Your Browser
Update your browser. Sometimes, the browser version can make a difference. When developers update software, they stop supporting older versions. Sometimes, the older version develops a bug. In general, newer is better and will download files faster.
4. Clear the Browsing History and Cookies
Your browsing history might be slowing you down. If you’ve spent a lot of time on sites you only ever visited once or twice, you might have a lot of stuff in your history. It varies with different browsers, but with most of them, you’ll click “tools” and then “delete browsing history.” History can bog down the CPU. It’s like having a lot of skeletons in your closet. You can’t expect things to move quickly when you have a lot of skeletons in your closet. That’s the rule in dating, and it’s the rule in downloading. Download like you date – with a “clean slate.” It is also a good idea to clear out the internet cookies while you are at it.
5. Close Down Programs You Don’t Need Right Now
You don’t need to have every program on your computer running simultaneously. Close some of that stuff down. It uses up system resources, which in turn slows down your downloading speed. Closing programs will allow your browser to focus all its resources on increasing or optimizing download speeds.
6. Download One Thing at A Time
Download only one media file at a time—especially if it’s large, like music or movies. Trying to download multiple 2GB files at once is asking for trouble.
First, most Internet connections just can’t handle this much at one time. Second, you’re moving more stuff through the same maximum bandwidth allowance, which naturally slows things down a bit.
So, ax multiple downloads, and you’ll find that you will download everything faster because you’re using up fewer system resources. Your computer doesn’t have to shuffle back and forth, trying to multitask. And, that’s going to make everyone happy. BitTorrent client software like Vuze usually has useful information on their site about configuring your client for faster downloads. Always make sure you are only sharing content that doesn’t infringe on copyright.