Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mikesaidyes]

Ok so I have a Toshiba laptop running Windows 7 that I purchased in May 2010. Not a slow computer by any means and there's not much on it in way of stuff.

I am no techie by any means, but this is what I have: intel core i3 @ 2.13Ghz, 3.08 GB usable installed memory (4 GB is the total). 64 bit op system.


System
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Manufacturer TOSHIBA
Model Satellite A505
Total amount of system memory 4.00 GB RAM
System type 64-bit operating system
Number of processor cores 2

Storage
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Total size of hard disk(s) 454 GB
Disk partition (C 391 GB Free (454 GB Total)
Media drive (D CD/DVD

Graphics
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Display adapter type Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator HD
Total available graphics memory 1696 MB
Dedicated graphics memory 64 MB
Dedicated system memory 0 MB
Shared system memory 1632 MB
Display adapter driver version 8.15.10.1986
Primary monitor resolution 1366x768
DirectX version DirectX 10

Network
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Network Adapter Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller
Network Adapter Realtek RTL8191SE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC
Network Adapter Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter

My boss came upstairs, plugged in his Korean laptop and my internet (ethernet cord) was LIGHTNING FAST.

When I use the internet, I can't watch a YouTube video the whole way through. I have to load it all the way first which takes like 5 plus minutes and THEN watch. I can't stream music from Spotify either without massive delays... and Skype is WAY choppy.

How to improve?!?!?! Thanks for the help.

Also, please keep it dumbed down for me, I'm smart but by no means tech literate. Simple instructions!

[ttompatz]

He was plugged in.

Are you plugged in or wireless?
What anti-virus are you running?

[mikesaidyes]

I am plugged in. And I have Norton (this was my old work laptop, I had to get it for work and it's still valid).

[mikesaidyes]

Also, it should be known that I just deleted Norton after a lot of requests to get with the program.. so what to use now?! I have been known to download a torrent or ten before, so I need something that can monitor those that's free.

[Swampfox10mm]

I maintain about 14 computers at work, which are used by students (English Lab) and Korean PT professors who frequent other universities (professors computer lab). Let me tell you, it is AMAZING how much crap those Korean professors bring in on USB sticks from other schools! The main problem is because nearly every school uses Ahn Labs V3. We do too, but it performs so badly that I have resorted to installing antivirus ON TOP of it (because I can't remove it -- the IT department force-locked it, and will reinstall over the network if Windows is reinstalled). They never check these computers, and they became worthless malware/virus-infested paperweights within weeks because of it. That's when I took it upon myself to keep them up.

Here is my suggestion:


If your computer is a dual-core or higher, then go with www.avast.com and install their free version. Register it (you can even use a fake mail/name) and you'll get a year free. You can then re-register a year from now to get another year.

If you have an older single-core, go with Microsoft Security Essentials (google for it).

Both are free. Both are right up there with the top 5 or 10 paid programs consistently. Neither have a firewall, but you can add a free firewall like Zonealarm (if you care to bother).

The ONLY complaint I have with Avast is that it seems to make single-core machines, and slower/old dual-core machines, a bit sluggish when coming out of sleep mode. On newer machines, you won't notice a thing.

The only complaints I have about Microsoft Security Essentials is that it sucks up a lot of ram to run these days, (always seems to use around 600,000k in memory after it sits on your machine a while). Also, I find it Avast seems to do a better job against malware (I still run the free version of Malwarebytes every several weeks, anyway -- it finds less on my Avast machines than Microsoft Machines).


There is virtually NO reason to purchase antivirus products, in my opinion. I've actually done more damage to my machines when running top-end paid programs (during the free trial). Go figure!

[Swampfox10mm]

Oh, btw, SK Telecom internet is now pure garbage. We have it here, and it just sucks. Truth is, it is terribly throttled. It's blazing-fast on Korean sites, but anything outside of Korea absolutely bites.

Go with KT if you have a choice.

When I want to watch a lot of Youtube, I run my Astrill client (paid) to bypass the throttling that's going on from SK. I then can watch 720p streaming, sometimes with no buffering.

[Pangit]

Gigabit ethernet card for a possible explanation and solution. Under the assumption that you have FTTH.

[DaHu]

i3 64 bit 4MB is slow

your boss probably has a i7 8MB without all the viruses you have now after uninstalling your Norton

[akcrono]