Connection Variance Conundrum

[PaddyD]

I've have been having very annoying issue with my connection to Aces High, the variance chart looks like the monitor of a heart attack patient, and the game is all but unplayable. I would be the horribly warping guy that no-one can stand. I do not know why this is happening, as EVERYTHING else I do with my connect runs both fast and stable. This includes downloads, streaming, and other games. I routinely have DL speeds in the 1.2-1.5 Megs per sec, and all games from COD4/5 to the numerous HAlF-LIFE mods all run perfectly. Low Pings, no jumpiness.

I've read through the stickies that have been put up on connections, and well I have to admit I don't seem to understand most of it. I am running vista, i have shut down my antivirus, and have shut down windows update. No luck, still warpy as hell, and variance line looks as straight as Liberachi.

Any advice/help on this would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Paddy

[The Fugitive]

take a screen shot of the variance page and post it here. Most of the time....and Im guessing here, old guy with a failing memory....a chart that has a peak that come real regular, is some other program grabbing the connection real quick to send data to some place. Itunes does this. Even if its not running it will poll the itunes site on a regular basis. More than likely you have some other processes running. Hit cntrl, alt, delete, and click the processes tab. In the lower corner it should say how many you have running. XP systems can get down to the teens, Vista mid 20's. Less is better.

[Skuzzy]

Variance has nothing to do with the speed of hte connection.  Variance jumps about when the CPU is being taken away from running the game.  This can be due to numerous things, but typically it is due to some background process or processes. 

It can also be due to using software that causes a lingering effect on your connection, such as any file sharing software.  You can also inherit an IP address from another person who has been using some file sharing software.  The effects of this usually last about 48 to 72 hours and then it dies off.

It could be spyware/malware/virus related as well.

Bottomline is, something is taking the CPU away from running the game.

[PaddyD]

Thanks fugitive, Skuzzy. In Skuzzy case I'm sure you here this one allot .  So I am sorry for any repeated hassel.

As to the trimming down of processes, I've opened up the task manager and looked at what runs whenever my comp turns on, and to my disbelief i see 57 processes. And, as I know next to nothing about what I'm doing with stuff like this, I dont know which can go, and which can stay. Some of the obvious ones I can figure out, but others I am not sure of. One process I, in my first blind attempt, shut down caused the comp to crash and show the "did not shut down correctly"  message i dont like seeing

If anymore help could come, is there a list of whats ok to take down, what has too stay on?

Thanks again.

Paddy

[The Fugitive]

Depending on whether you run XP or vista, one of THESE TWO PROGRAMS can help. FSautostart is for XP, the other is for vista. Download and install the right one. Then set up a profile. As you put the mouse over most of the processes it will tell you whether to turn it off, restart, of leave it on. Set it as recommended should get you much better off than 57.  Good luck.

[PaddyD]

thanks fugitive. I tried the vista one, only works with 32bit OS'. But now that i have the general idea of what to look for, I'll start searching for a 64bit version, when I find it I let ya know if has worked.

Thanks alot.

Paddyd