56k dial-up download speed

[Blizzard596]

Hi, I'm using 56k dial-up with a normal connection speed of 50.6k. One day several months ago, my download speed suddenly jumped from the average 2-6k to 20-27k. Needless to say I took advantage and did a lot of downloading that day I"m wondering what would cause such a dramatic speed increase, and is there any way I can get it back?

 

[Martin]

The downloaded file was most likely cached on your local drive. The cached section may be done during a previous download attempt, or it may be done when your browser/download manager begins the download. Usually, the speed will dramatically drop afterwards.

Some files cache pretty well, such as text files, but definitely not compressed archives or mp3's.

 

[Blizzard596]

Yes, but I also downloaded 2 ISO files that day (over 600MB each) neither of which could have been cached, and they both downloaded at a steady 20-27k.

 

[HoLoCroN]

Yes, but I also downloaded 2 ISO files that day (over 600MB each) neither of which could have been cached, and they both downloaded at a steady 20-27k.

Ouch... must of taken forever to download those. Do you see any change depending on type of files downloaded?

 

[Blizzard596]

Sorry, I mean they downloaded at 20-27kbps - as compared to my usual 2-5kbps. As for the different file types, I"m not sure, but web surfing was also much faster than usual (pictures etc.)

 

[Erstad]

What were you wearing that day?? Maybe that has something to do with it..... hehehe

I've never heard of such a thing. Sounds like one of those freak things that hapenned with the phone lines.

 

[tylertherobot]

That'd have to be cached - it's impossible to get those speeds on a 50.6 connection - by all logic and the way the analog phone lines are cappd it could only go 5.1 MAYBE. You're either lying or you had a good chunk of the file somewhere on your hard drive already.

 

[Blizzard596]

lol I know it sounds crazy, that's why I'm asking. But yes, I really did get up to 27kbps on 56k dial-up. Like Erstad said, it probably was something with the phone lines. I just wish it were that fast all the time

 

[nehi]

actually, i have a friend who usually DLs at a constant 12k on 56k dial-up... but i have never heard of a jump to 20k+
i have heard about jumps on cable... lol
but as you can see it went back down to what 2-5k?
maybe everyone that day ripped their phones out of the wall, and stopped using there computers or something...

 

[ChaosBlizzard]

actually, i have a friend who usually DLs at a constant 12k on 56k dial-up... but i have never heard of a jump to 20k+
i have heard about jumps on cable... lol
but as you can see it went back down to what 2-5k?
maybe everyone that day ripped their phones out of the wall, and stopped using there computers or something...

IE is designed to take off where you left off using cache. I dont see any other way you could have achieved those speeds. Sometimes IE doesnt dump its cache when it should, their have been cache problems like that with IE for a while now. I remeber something like that happening to me when I had dialup, only happened once. It has to be some kind of cache in the system. What version of IE do you have? I know IE 6 has a more complex cache system, it has many directories it uses to store files...