Are there any drivers I should update? Are there any settings I should change? Any programs I should download and install? I connect at 41333...is this good? I play a game and my ping is about 200-250...is this good? Thank you for any assistance...G (-:

1) Make sure you have the latest drivers available for your modem - this won't necessarily make a difference but it is a good idea in general. 2) Do NOT download any of the "download/internet connection speed" enhancing programs because they are just SPYWare and they spy on where you go and what you do whenever you are connected. 3) The fastest connection you can get on a 56k modem is 52000 and that is nearly impossible to get unless you have a direct cable from your telco station (central office of your local exchange). I have an ISDN line (which is a digital line and does not have the interference or "line noise" that convetional analog lines have) and the fastest connection I get on that is about 49999 if I am lucky, when I dial out through that. Using the actual ISDN modem, yeah I can get 128000 from both channels being active, but that is on another computer. Ping rates are relative to everyone else playing the multiplayer game you are playing. Optimal ping is usually anything less than about 150 milliseconds (ms). Some people have firewall software running that gives inaccurate figures of ping rates to others, and net congestion is another popular cause for higher ping numbers, resulting in lower player-to-player connection speeds. Playing games over the internet can be very annoying for that reason because one person with a poor connection or ping (above about 300 is poor) can bring everyone else down as well. Where are you playing this game, and for that matter which game are you playing? If you play on the MSN Gaming Zone the ping you see for every other is the ping between you and them. In multiplayer games such as Unreal Tournament where you connect to servers, the ping listed for yourself and others is the ping between you and the server or person hosting the game. Hope this helps... :) Oh, and 41333 is about average. 42000 or 43666 is what most people see when they connect. SO your connection speed isn't bad... if it falls below 40000 then you may have some line noise or bad phone lines...or just a poor Internet provider. :)

Thank you for a great reply! I am playing Legends of Might and Magic. It is the first online game I have played and that is why I asked my question. It seems that I usually have a lower ping than the other players. A lot of them are under 100 whereas mine is 200-250. Needless to say this gives them a greater advantage. I am dialing in through Dellnet (free) on the 56K modem. I know sometimes you can tweak a computer somewhat to clear line noise, make modem a tad bit faster, and such. And I don't know much about ping and such...so, I thought I would ask the experts. G (-: Are the low pings because they are on T1 and cable? thank you.

(the fastest modem speed u can get out of a 56k modem is 52000) hmmmmm thats funny i have a 56k and its 53333

Greg - you're welcome for the reply and hope it helped explain it somewhat. Yes, that is the downfall of playing multiplayer games online while being only on a 56k dialup connection. As for the others with the better ping rates, well...they don't necessarily need to be on T1, Cable, or DSL...but being on something like one of those would certainly help. It is possible to get good ping rates off 56k dialups but it just depends on net traffic and you ISP's servers and their connection to the rest of the internet. Basically it depends on congestion though. Jeff: First off, how far are you from your telco? Do you even know? Second, that's funny because the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulates modem communications and has mandated all connections not exceed approximately 52000, but at the absolute MAX being 53000. Either way, your "53333" connection is falsely reporting the speed. By any chance would that be an AOL connection? AOL I have noticed says 53333 even when it is only about 51000 or 52000. Other ISP's do the same. Just a little word of advice...before you go making posts like that trying to tell someone they are wrong - do a little research on your own. It's far better to be a smart fool and keep your mouth shut, than to open your mouth and prove it to the world...

Hey. I've installed a new modem driver/firmware and some other tweaks (e.g., modem speed 200,000 checked) and I'm still connecting at 41,333 and 250 ping on the Legends of Might and Magic game. Is this the best I can do or is there something that I have forgotten? Should I delete some startup programs? Is there some spyware on my maching that may be eating my resources? G (-:

the initial reported connection speed is not very representative... all my 98 computers show 52000 and my two ME computers show 49000 and 42000 best pings i am getting with 98 are in 170 range... with ME 200... download speeds from (from a good source) on my windows 98 computers in the 5.5 to 6.0 kB/s range and on my winodws ME computers in 4.0 to 4.5 kB range (all this is on the same phoneline and same ISP access number) what type of modem do you have? if you have WDM driver modem or winmodem, you might try a hardware modem to see if it improves, but it might be also phoneline issue... on some phone lines i cant connect to 52000 with my 98 notebook either Regards Miro