 Posted by the editor on December 08th, 2009
If you are one of the lucky users of Windows XP (as it seems Microsoft is trying to slip Vista into every computer they can; but don’t worry, with Windows 7 everything will be great), you may have noticed that your internet connection is slower than, for example, Linux or Mac OS (that is, if you could compare).
It is especially noticeable when using a torrent client like Bittorrent or uTorrent. Your browser slows down a lot, and sometimes causes time out errors.
The reason for this is Microsoft’s “ingenious” security patch that is supposed to slow down the spread of viruses. What it does is limit the concurrent connections limit to 10 (half-open, to be exact, but that’s besides the point), which should be OK for most people who watch a video on Youtube and read a few sites and email, but should you start your torrent client and let it connect to 10 or more people, your browser will become a turtle… a cyber turtle.
I was baffled by this and thought it’s my ISP’s fault, but no, it is all because of the Windows XP Service Pack.
So, how can one fix this?
Quite easy, actually: All you need to do is apply a patch that would raise the limit to a more acceptable level. You can find it at http://www.lvllord.de (don’t worry, it’s in English) on the Downloads page.
Download the English zip archive, open it and run “EVID4226Patch.exe” (the only executable in the archive). You can either just type “Y” and press Enter or type “C” and change the limit to a much higher value, like “1,000,000” (the default value is 50, which will still be quite slow for those who use torrent clients).
After you applied the patch, you should restart your computer (as Windows XP reloads the changed file on startup).
Vista’s Service Pack 2 and latest updates remove the limit altogether, while Windows 7 never had the limit, so users of these operating systems can be sure they are using their full speed without applying any patch.
That’s it; enjoy your new, faster internet connection under Windows XP!
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