uTorrent impairing web browsing

[DavidA]

I love uTorrent. I've been running it for long time.

In the past I've found that it impaired my web browsing when in use, but I was able to fiddle with some settings and eventually get it working. My computer died recently and now I'm back to the same problem: when uTorrent is running I can barely load a webpage, particularly when it's busy.

Here's some diagnostic info:

- In general faster my downloads are the slower the browser pages load. At about 70% capacity it's taking about 18 seconds to load a page from this forum. Same with other sites.

- My port is being forwarded correctly. I get a green tick.

- My ISP (UKFSN, part of Entanet) has been pretty good. Never any throttling AFAIK.

- On thinkbroadband's speed test I get 3.3Mbit down and 0.5mbit up.

- I have limited my download to 300KByte.

- I have my upload limited to 35KByte.

- I have Disabled uPnP port mapping and NAT-PMP port mapping.

- I have set net.max_halfopen to 8.

- Both DHT options unchecked.

- peer.resolve_country is already set to false.

- Max connections to 200.

- Router has a QOS setting which is at 10% for web traffic. Setting this to 20% or disabling it seems to make no odds.

- Connecting to my router on my LAN often takes about 20 seconds when utorrent is going, so the problem is local.

System specs: XP Home SP3, Firefox, Draytek Vigor 2600 router, Kaspersky antivirus.

The problem is frustratingly intermittent. A second ago when I was trying a few things I got a great download speed in utorrent coupled with a responsive web, but then a few seconds later when utorrent didn't have any active torrents the web went unresponsive again. Eh?!

Ultimately I'm pretty confident it's local because I have problems getting to the router. It's something that is being caused or being affected by utorrent because there is no problem when utorrent isn't loaded. It's not 100% related to bandwidth because sometimes I get unresponsiveness when utorrent isn't busy and sometimes vice versa. I think it's fixable because it was working fine on my previous Windows install.

Any help or pointers would be appreciated.

=====

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2

Scan saved at 00:13:11, on 28/05/2008

Platform: Windows XP SP3 (WinNT 5.01.2600)

MSIE: Internet Explorer v7.00 (7.00.6000.16640)

Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:

C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe

C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\AppleMobileDeviceService.exe

C:\Program Files\Kaspersky Lab\Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0\avp.exe

C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\IoctlSvc.exe

C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE

C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\Core\smax4pnp.exe

C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_06\bin\jusched.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\RUNDLL32.EXE

C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe

C:\Program Files\Kaspersky Lab\Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0\avp.exe

C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\SoundMAX\Smax4.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe

C:\Program Files\Dropbox\dropbox.exe

C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\wscntfy.exe

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe

C:\Program Files\Bit Che\Bit_Che.exe

C:\Program Files\Drobo\Drobo Dashboard\DroboDashboard.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\taskmgr.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe

C:\Program Files\uTorrent\uTorrent.exe

C:\junk\HiJackThis.exe

R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157

R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896

R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896

R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings,ProxyOverride = *.local

O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_06\bin\ssv.dll

O2 - BHO: FlashFXP Helper for Internet Explorer - {E5A1691B-D188-4419-AD02-90002030B8EE} - C:\PROGRA~1\FlashFXP\IEFlash.dll

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [soundMAXPnP] C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\Core\smax4pnp.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [sunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_06\bin\jusched.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVP] "C:\Program Files\Kaspersky Lab\Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0\avp.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [soundMax] "C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\SoundMAX\Smax4.exe" /tray

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [CTFMON.EXE] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [indxStoreSvr_{79662E04-7C6C-4d9f-84C7-88D8A56B10AA}] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Nero\Lib\NMIndexStoreSvr.exe" ASO-616B5711-6DAE-4795-A05F-39A1E5104020

O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-19\..\Run: [CTFMON.EXE] C:\WINDOWS\system32\CTFMON.EXE (User 'LOCAL SERVICE')

O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-20\..\Run: [CTFMON.EXE] C:\WINDOWS\system32\CTFMON.EXE (User 'NETWORK SERVICE')

O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-18\..\Run: [CTFMON.EXE] C:\WINDOWS\system32\CTFMON.EXE (User 'SYSTEM')

O4 - HKUS\.DEFAULT\..\Run: [CTFMON.EXE] C:\WINDOWS\system32\CTFMON.EXE (User 'Default user')

O4 - Startup: Dropbox.lnk = C:\Program Files\Dropbox\dropbox.exe

O4 - Global Startup: Drobo Dashboard.lnk = C:\Program Files\Drobo\Drobo Dashboard\DroboDashboard.exe

O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\Office12\EXCEL.EXE/3000

O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_06\bin\ssv.dll

O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_06\bin\ssv.dll

O9 - Extra button: Web Anti-Virus statistics - {1F460357-8A94-4D71-9CA3-AA4ACF32ED8E} - C:\Program Files\Kaspersky Lab\Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0\SCIEPlgn.dll

O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\Office12\REFIEBAR.DLL

O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe

O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe

O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe

O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe

O16 - DPF: {6414512B-B978-451D-A0D8-FCFDF33E833C} (WUWebControl Class) - http://www.update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate/v6/V5Controls/en/x86/client/wuweb_site.cab?1211679724093

O23 - Service: Apple Mobile Device - Apple, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\AppleMobileDeviceService.exe

O23 - Service: Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0 (AVP) - Kaspersky Lab - C:\Program Files\Kaspersky Lab\Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0\avp.exe

O23 - Service: Bonjour Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe

O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe

O23 - Service: NMIndexingService - Nero AG - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Nero\Lib\NMIndexingService.exe

O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (NVSvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe

O23 - Service: PLFlash DeviceIoControl Service - Prolific Technology Inc. - C:\WINDOWS\system32\IoctlSvc.exe

--

End of file - 5801 bytes

[Switeck]

Are you seeing error message number 4226 in Windows Event Logger around the times that web browsing is slowed?

How many connections per torrent are you allowing?

How many torrents are you running at once?

How many peers/seeds are on these torrents?

...And how many of those are you connected to?

What's your upload slots per torrent set to?

Are there other connections being regularly made by your computer at the same time besides the obvious web browsing that you are doing?

TCP View should show this...it can also show if connections are getting "stuck" when they should be closed.

[DavidA]

Thanks Switeck. You got there in an instant. Yes, I was getting 4226 which I understand indicates more socket connection that Windows is happy with. I dropped uTorrent's half open rate to 1 and now the problem seems to be solved.

Thanks again!

[Firon]

1 is probably a bit excessive, you could likely do 4 without issues.

[Chastity]

Excuse me a sec....

Where is this setting located? I'm having the same issue.

Thanks!

(never mind...I found it. Search was my friend)

C