Note:
Please note that you can cause damage to your system if you make a wrong move when editing the Windows Registry, so you do so at your own risk. Back up your registry before attempting to use any of the registry tweaks.

Typically you won't have to do this with the latest versions of Windows 2000 or XP, this was more of a fault with older versions of Windows (9x and ME), however some of you may still see a benefit when altering the GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize. The GlobalTcpWindowSize, (known as DefaultRcvWindow in other Windows versions) is a buffer that fills with data determining how much of that data the receiving computer will receive. If the value of the GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize is set incorrectly, then the speed of that Internet connection can be affected. The GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize can be specified within the Microsoft Windows Registry to maximise the performance of an Internet connection. Below are instructions on how to do this, again please always backup your registry before making any changes.

Step 1: Open up the Windows Registry Editor. To do this click on the Windows Start button, click on "Run" and type in "regedit" before clicking "OK".

Step 2: Find the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesTcpipParameters

Step 3: Look for a DWORD value named "GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize". If you don't have this then you will have to create it (see screenshot):

Step 4: Once you have located or created "GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize", you need to set the value of this. Set the value to:  256960

Step 5: Close the registry editor and restart your computer.

Didn't this go smoothly for you? Try consulting our community in the talkbroadband.com forums!