Browsing while using uTorrent slowwww!

[janlafata]

I have seen some posts on this but I'm new here and wanted to a fresh take on what it is that causes my surfing to slow to a crawl while using uTorrent. I did lower some settings in the "Bandwidth" section of "Preferences" and that seemed to help once, bu appears that things are back to a crawl again.

I have ESET Smart Security and did see a post on it causing problems if uTorrent is checked as a web browser to scan but I hopefully disabled that to where it's no longer a worry.

Any other ideas? I have a cable connection and am running XP Pro

[Firon]

Did you change net.max_halfopen in the Advanced section of the preferences? It should be set to 8 or less.

[janlafata]

I did not change it. It's currently set at 8. Any other suggestions?

[jewelisheaven]

You're only using NOD/ESET ? what version? Are you uploading the maximum your connection can hold? If you open task manager and go to the Networking tab, how full is your usage?

[Ultima]

See the first link in my signature regarding interrupted connections? If nothing there helps, please provide the requested information.

[janlafata]

I am using ESET Smart Security 4. Also I'm not sure what you mean by "Are you uploading the maximum your connection can hold?" and I'm also not that good at making sense of what's going on in the networking tab.

Ultima...I did do several tweaks recommended by Switech for my 256 kbps. I also browsed your post on Slow / Interrupted Connections and implemented most of the changes you recommended there. I couldn't figure out "Try disabling IP resolving in the Peers tab's context menu" though.

I will try out a download or two in the next day or so, but I imagine I don't want to do try too many changes at once so I can try out each setting to see if there's any difference in browsing

[Ultima]

Can you tell us what the values are now for the settings that the checklist recommended changes for?

[janlafata]

Surely...First I used Switech's conservative settings for a 256 kbps upload. Then I went back to your recommendations and lowered net.max_halfopen to 4, bt.connect_speed to 10, and I disabled DHT and UPnP and NAT-PMP

It's now about five hours later and I just wanted to update you that those changes I mentioned in my previous post have all resulted in my browsing being much, much more efficient. It's so good in fact, that it's almost like I wasn't even using a torrent at all while I surf!

I would like to know though, in as non-technical terms as possible, just what were those changes I made exactly they were, I mean besides the obvious. For example, disabling DHT and UPnP and NAT-PMP. Just what did that do and I any less secure now than I was before I made the changes?

Thanks for all of your help.

[Switeck]

DHT is a separate network from BitTorrent but passes lists of peer/seed ips that are sharing various torrent files. It's helpful if you need additional peers/seeds to complete a download, but doesn't work on private torrents and may not find any extra peers/seeds even for public torrents.

UPnP and NAT-PMP are automated methods of forwarding your router and possibly your modem to your computer. They can also auto-configure windows firewall for use with uTorrent. But their overhead traffic is just another "straw on the camel's back" if you're already having network troubles.

Lowering net.max_halfopen to 4 half open outgoing connections at once and bt.connect_speed to 10 new outgoing connection attempts at once can drastically reduce how many connections are being made/broken per minute but even over a 10 minute period those were likely just retrying ips that failed to respond the last time they were tried.

All in all, security vulnerability wise, because you have DHT, UPnP, and NAT-PMP disabled in uTorrent...probably marginally MORE secure. Fewer possible doorways in, however unlikely they may be.

Do note that your privacy on torrents is essentially nil. All other peers/seeds can get your ip address from the tracker, so even if they don't connect to you they may still be aware you exist.

[PurpleFish]

Just wanted to post.. been having web browser issues as well. I have Windows 7 starter and never had an issue before having to do a system recovery recently. I have been on the computer for days trying to figure out why I could not use my browser while utorrent was running. My download speeds were excellent.. sometimes getting up to 1.5 Gbps! I finally read these posts and made the same changes as janlafata and OMG>>> my web browser is faster than ever and I'm downloading torrents in utorrent at the same time!

Thanks so much! My headache can now go away and I can get back to my housework that was piling up.

LOL.

[Nostromov]

"Are you uploading the maximum your connection can hold?"

I realize the topic's been resolved, but this is simple. Depending on your connection, Cable, xDSL, etc., your computer/modem/router might not be able to sufficiently throttle while uTorrent is active.

Right-clicking the icon in the tray and setting the Upload Limit to something lower than your maximum upload allowed (kB/s) will allow some headroom for your connection & that should take care of browsing (put the download lower than the max if you think it'll help).

No need to cripple uTorrent functionality:

"Try disabling IP resolving in the Peers tab's context menu"