My laptop has installed Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 11. I have AT&T DSL, no other choice in my rural area.The videos are slow to load, frequently stop and reload while playing, generally a pia to use. I have been searching the internet for cures I may be able to do myself without making matter worst.One suggestion was to disable add-ons. I found my add-ons and viewed them, some are enabled and some disabled. Is there a way to tell if I need a particular add-on? Can I disable an add-on and if things go wrong can I simply enable it to correct?Thanks for any help or suggestions.

What kind of videos? Embedded in a news feed? Flash videos? U-Tube videos? Or streaming videos from Netflix or Amazon?Not a bad utility to use to locate excessive bandwidth usage is a program called Networx. It will enable you to see what is using your bandwidth and give you some ideas of your actual upload and download speeds.

Google 'disable add on windows 7'

Same here, I can not watch youtube videos they keep buffering. There is no fix. If you have a "slow" speed internet that's just what happens.If you have the patience you can just wait and wait and eventually it will load. I'm still fighting the whole flash issue with firefox. I can NOT watch ANY video on Facebook. the whole circle j. Pop up says I Need flash to watch video on Facebook, but firefox won't let me download flash. :R

Howard basically any and all videos. At one time we were able to view Amazon Prime on Roku but no more. Today our internet speed is - download 1.28 mbps and upload 0.28 mbps. We are using a private wireless router. Router is no more 8' from the computer.I think the majority of our problem is with the AT&T service.I was curious about the add-ons thing.

Disabling add-ons | Good Sam Community

13 Replies

Trackrig
Explorer II
May 18, 2016
Gdetrailer wrote:
Bill T wrote:
Thank you guys for all the tips. Gdetrailer I have an AT&T ESS office about 4-5 air miles from me. I should be getting 1.5 mbps from AT&T. AT&T did send me a new router but that did not help. I like the wiring tip, makes sense. I'll check the od box tomorrow. And if I can get together enough cable I'll run a line from the od box to the router to see if there is any improvement. And I will check out AdBlock.

Maybe this will help get my speed up to 1.5 mbps.

Thanks again to all.

WIRE miles is the problem..

DSL DISTANCE

Per link above (not sure if the formating will work but I will quote it anyway..

"If you have heard even something about DSL, you will have heard about distance. Your phone lines normally terminate at a telco office, usually nearby. This distance, (the length of your line between your location and the telco office), is a very important factor in whether or not you can get DSL, and what speed you can get. The gauge of the copper lines may also be a factor.
Here are some rules of thumb for distance ranges. Please be aware that especially with non Telco ADSL lines, distance limits for speeds can vary widely from company to company. There are cases where it is policy for "residential" DSL lines not to be offered as far out as functionally identical "business" products!

The subject of distance and DSL is so important, we've added a special page for it, check this for detailed distance information per DSL network : Distance charts.

Note: The information below is not recent, and is probably not accurate any longer.

Distance
In Feet comment
less than 5000 You will have little trouble getting all speeds of DSL
5000-10600 You may have trouble getting the highest speeds on offer
10600-15000 The danger zone for DSL from national CLECs like Covad and NorthPoint. Speeds on offer are pinned back steadily until they reach 192k for 15,000 feet. If your line is longer than around 15000 feet, they may not accept an order.
15000-18000 In this range, Telco ADSL is normally still available, although it may be restricted to 300-500k speeds
18000-22000 Telco ADSL is not available, although in a few areas, RADSL may be a product you can get. RADSL is speed-variable.
Some smaller DSL specialist CLECs may have solutions for you.
22000-28000 Using less commonly used DSL equipment, it is still possible to use lines of this length.
18000-28000 IDSL is an alternative or possibly the only alternative. IDSL is 144k/sec, about four-six times modem speed.
28000-38000 IDSL is the only alternative

Yes, I worked for a Telco doing DSL. Straight line of sight, I'm maybe 1,000' from the local wire center. The way the wire is routed up one street and down the next, I'm actually about 16,000' feet away and therefore can barely get 10mg. You'd probably be happy with that at this point, but I sure like more.

Bill
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
May 18, 2016
Bill T wrote:
Thank you guys for all the tips. Gdetrailer I have an AT&T ESS office about 4-5 air miles from me. I should be getting 1.5 mbps from AT&T. AT&T did send me a new router but that did not help. I like the wiring tip, makes sense. I'll check the od box tomorrow. And if I can get together enough cable I'll run a line from the od box to the router to see if there is any improvement. And I will check out AdBlock.

Maybe this will help get my speed up to 1.5 mbps.

Thanks again to all.

WIRE miles is the problem..

DSL DISTANCE

Per link above (not sure if the formating will work but I will quote it anyway..

"If you have heard even something about DSL, you will have heard about distance. Your phone lines normally terminate at a telco office, usually nearby. This distance, (the length of your line between your location and the telco office), is a very important factor in whether or not you can get DSL, and what speed you can get. The gauge of the copper lines may also be a factor.
Here are some rules of thumb for distance ranges. Please be aware that especially with non Telco ADSL lines, distance limits for speeds can vary widely from company to company. There are cases where it is policy for "residential" DSL lines not to be offered as far out as functionally identical "business" products!

The subject of distance and DSL is so important, we've added a special page for it, check this for detailed distance information per DSL network : Distance charts.

Note: The information below is not recent, and is probably not accurate any longer.

Distance
In Feet comment
less than 5000 You will have little trouble getting all speeds of DSL
5000-10600 You may have trouble getting the highest speeds on offer
10600-15000 The danger zone for DSL from national CLECs like Covad and NorthPoint. Speeds on offer are pinned back steadily until they reach 192k for 15,000 feet. If your line is longer than around 15000 feet, they may not accept an order.
15000-18000 In this range, Telco ADSL is normally still available, although it may be restricted to 300-500k speeds
18000-22000 Telco ADSL is not available, although in a few areas, RADSL may be a product you can get. RADSL is speed-variable.
Some smaller DSL specialist CLECs may have solutions for you.
22000-28000 Using less commonly used DSL equipment, it is still possible to use lines of this length.
18000-28000 IDSL is an alternative or possibly the only alternative. IDSL is 144k/sec, about four-six times modem speed.
28000-38000 IDSL is the only alternative

PLEASE NOTE: I did not write the original material here, I simply updated the FAQ with info that was relevant at the time, around eight years ago. If you have updated valid info please use the link at the bottom to submit your remarks and updated info."
Bill_T
Explorer
May 18, 2016
Thank you guys for all the tips. Gdetrailer I have an AT&T ESS office about 4-5 air miles from me. I should be getting 1.5 mbps from AT&T. AT&T did send me a new router but that did not help. I like the wiring tip, makes sense. I'll check the od box tomorrow. And if I can get together enough cable I'll run a line from the od box to the router to see if there is any improvement. And I will check out AdBlock.

Maybe this will help get my speed up to 1.5 mbps.

Thanks again to all.
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
May 18, 2016
MrWizard wrote:
win 7 and your PC are Fine

the problem is the slow speed of the DSL

nothing you disable, will help, unless it is some background process , sending data to the cloud for storage

nothing else is going to eat into your data bandwidth

IF you are watching youtube videos
there are several download addons that you can use
that will download the selected video to your PC, then you watch it with NO interruptions or buffering after it has downloaded

if you are trying to watch netflix etc..the best you can do is set netflix to SD resolution

OP is using IE and most likely BAREFOOT IE (IE no ad blocking).

OP needs to seriously think about adding on AdBlockerPlus to reduce as many ads as possible.. Running without an adblocker even on super high speed connections will make any browser sluggish and yes, those ads often can cause buffering..

But, I think the OP may have a ISP noise problem on the line or even a weak DSL connection which may be contributing to the problem especially if they are more than 5 miles from the phone co switches..
OP can use the DSLReports website that I posted to get further help in troubleshooting the DSL line and modem, they have a lot of knowledge on troubleshooting ISP problems.
MrWizard
Moderator
May 17, 2016
win 7 and your PC are Fine

the problem is the slow speed of the DSL

nothing you disable, will help, unless it is some background process , sending data to the cloud for storage

nothing else is going to eat into your data bandwidth

IF you are watching youtube videos
there are several download addons that you can use
that will download the selected video to your PC, then you watch it with NO interruptions or buffering after it has downloaded

if you are trying to watch netflix etc..the best you can do is set netflix to SD resolution
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
May 17, 2016
Bill T wrote:
Howard basically any and all videos. At one time we were able to view Amazon Prime on Roku but no more.

Today our internet speed is - download 1.28 mbps and upload 0.28 mbps. We are using a private wireless router. Router is no more 8' from the computer.

I think the majority of our problem is with the AT&T service.

I was curious about the add-ons thing.

I have 1.5 mbps DSL through Embark.. No problem at all with HD video streaming and that is with two desktop PCs surfing plus two tablets surfing at the same time.

The problem you may be having is you could be at the end of the line for DSL.. I am only 2 miles from my phone co switching station..

Couple of things you could try..

Have you rebooted your router lately? Sometimes the modem/router gets flaky and needs a good power off reboot..

You can disconnect your house wiring and with a spare known good phone cord plug the router/modem directly to the interface box.. This bypasses all of your homes phone wiring.. If the speed improves then you have internal wiring issues.

CHECK YOUR WIRING AT THE SYSTEM INTERFACE BOX.. Corroded wiring INSIDE the network box happens.. You will need to open the wiring section where the phone company wire meets the outlet jacks.. I have seen those terminations get corroded from just the moisture in the air and eventually you will get intermittent Internet connections or speed.

The fix is to disconnect the wires (one color at a time), clean off the copper with some sand paper until you have shiny copper color again. Then I treat the wire with a product called No-Alox or OxGard which can be found in the electrical section at Home Depot or Lowes.

OxGard and No-Alox are designed to prevent moisture in the air from contacting the wire and will prevent the wire from oxidizing again.

Another possibility is the modem/router may be bad.. Perhaps see if you can borrow one and try it.. I have seen Modem/Routers go bad intermittently.

Barring all that, I would recommend you check out DSLReports.com, they have a ATT section there that may be helpful..

On edit..

Forgot about your add ons question..

Bare bones IE does not come with Add ons.. Those are third party software items that you optionally can install to enhance or alter your browser. So if you have never added any you have nothing there to disable but there are some things like flash player which will get installed that you can disable if needed.

However, I would recommend trying FireFox with AdBlockPlus.. (Although I think they do have a version of AdBlockPlus for IE now that you could try)..

AdBlockPlus is a handy addon which stops a lot of the advertisements from loading.. Excessive advertisements will KILL your Internet speed by eating up your Internet bandwidth..

You notice pages loading much faster..
fj12ryder
Explorer III
May 17, 2016
At 1.28 mbps you should be able to watch U-tube videos if nothing else is downloading at the same time. You're pretty much out of luck with those speeds for Netflix, Amazon, etc.

What speed has AT&T said you should be getting? What browser are you using, and do you have multiple tabs open?

Use Networx and find out what programs are downloading stuff, that will give you an idea of what you need to shut down when you want decent speeds, working with what you have. You can set Networx to list the software and how much bandwidth they are using.

Disabling add-ons might not do you much good if you simply don't have the bandwidth to begin with.
AJBert
Explorer
May 17, 2016
Have you looked into satellite internet?
Bill_T
Explorer
May 17, 2016
Howard basically any and all videos. At one time we were able to view Amazon Prime on Roku but no more.

Today our internet speed is - download 1.28 mbps and upload 0.28 mbps. We are using a private wireless router. Router is no more 8' from the computer.

I think the majority of our problem is with the AT&T service.

I was curious about the add-ons thing.
rockhillmanor
Explorer II
May 17, 2016
Same here, I can not watch youtube videos they keep buffering. There is no fix. If you have a "slow" speed internet that's just what happens.
If you have the patience you can just wait and wait and eventually it will load.

I'm still fighting the whole flash issue with firefox. I can NOT watch ANY video on Facebook. the whole circle j. Pop up says I Need flash to watch video on Facebook, but firefox won't let me download flash. :R