How to Increase Internet Download Speed on Your Computer

Internet download speed is primarily dependent on the type of internet connection that you use. There are different types of internet connections and they have maximum connection speed limits which cannot be exceeded. Examples are 56 kilobits/second for dial-up modems and 3.6 megabits/second or more for 3G modems. One sure way to increase download speed is to upgrade your connection to a faster one but this is not a readily available option for many people. However, there are several ways to improve the download speed on your existing internet connection. These tips below outline some of them:

Use Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Software

A P2P application works by letting you find computers (peers) on a network that have the file that you intend to download. It then enables you to download that file from as many computers as possible simultaneously. Thus, if the file that you want is found on 100 computers, it downloads faster than when it is found on only 2 computers.

Use a Download Manager or Accelerator

A download manager or accelerator is an application that is created to manage downloads and to optimize and improve download speeds. There are several such software available as free downloads. Most of them only require installation and no further user input while others may require the user to tweak some settings to achieve improved download speeds.

Close Other Running Programs

Other open programs - especially if they are programs that hog computer resources - cause your downloads to run slower. This is because your computer allocates its resources such as processor speed among all the open programs. Closing some or all of them frees up such resources which can be then be redistributed to your download.

Increase Download Priority

This tip is for Windows OS users. You can set your computer to prioritize your downloads if you are using a P2P application or download manager. Do the following:

- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch Task Manager.

- Under the Applications tab, right-click on the application you want to prioritize and select Go To Process. This takes you to the Processes tab where you will see that the process you want is highlighted. Right-click on the highlighted process, click on Set Priority and choose the highest available option.

Optimize and Increase Computer Processor Usage

Nearly all computers in use today are equipped with more than one processor. By default most applications or processes run on just one of those processors. You may increase your internet download speed by setting your download application to run on more than one processor.

- Follow the steps under "Increase Download Priority". When you right-click on the highlighted process, select Set Affinity instead and check the box next to All Processors (Windows 7) or check any unchecked boxes (Windows Vista). Click OK to save.

Upgrade Your Computer's Random Access Memory (RAM)

Increased RAM increases the amount of memory that can be allocated to programs and so programs run faster because your computer can apportion adequate memory for all of their operations. Thus, your download applications run faster.

Increase Your Computer's Virtual Memory

This is a complement or alternative to upgrading RAM on Windows operating systems. Virtual memory or paging file is an area of your computer's hard disk that Windows uses as if it were RAM. Its size can also be increased. For Windows 7 and Vista, do the following:

- Press Windows logo key + Pause to display the System Properties page and click on Advanced System Settings.

- The above step displays a System Properties dialog box. In the Advanced tab, click on theSettings button under Performance; this displays a Performance Options dialog box.

- Click on the Advanced tab and then click on the Change button under Virtual Memory. This opens another dialog box.

- Uncheck the box next to "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives". Select the radio button next to Custom Size and enter the values you would like. Enter an Initial and a Maximum size. Click OK to save. You may have to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Do Not Download Too Many Files At Once

Downloading plenty of files at once causes your internet speed to be divided amongst all the competing downloads. This will cause even the smallest of files to take much too long to finish downloading.

Download From Authoritative Websites

There are trusted websites such as download.cnet.com and filehippo.com that primarily offer downloads. Files on such sites are usually optimized for download and so also are the servers on which the files are hosted. Therefore, downloads from such websites are noticeably faster plus you can be relatively sure that you are not downloading malware or infected files.

Download At Off-Peak Times

There are certain times of the day when internet usage is highest i.e. there are many people accessing the network at those times. Download speeds are bound to be slow at such times. For faster downloads, try nighttime or other such periods when internet usage is lower.

Do Not Run Your Download Program in the Background

Most operating systems cause programs that operate in the background to run at a lower priority. Sometimes programs are configured intrinsically to automatically run at a lower priority once they are minimized to the background. If your download program works in this way, always run it as an open window.

Change Download Settings

It is usually possible to change download settings or configurations such as the one discussed above. Other such settings may include:

- Downloads execute only when your internet connection is idle. Change this to allow your download run at any time.

- Downloads utilize only a certain percentage of your internet connection speed. Increase this to the maximum or as you prefer.

Do not forget that using any and all of these tips will only boost your internet download speed towards the maximum speed for your internet connection type. These tips will not increase your download speed above such a maximum limit.