problems sending e-mails/uploading

[Denise]

Ever since we came back from Sheridan, I have been having no end of problems with attempting to send e-mails with attachments and uploading pictures to the forum. We are on dial up (high speed not an option here). Things were working fine when we left on May 12th. Home on May 20th and problems every since. Computer was unplugged when we were away.

I occasionally get an message when trying to dial up that the server has not responded. There have been times when I could not send a 4kb, two sentance e-mail. Generally I keep attachments down to 200 kb max. On the rare occasion they have gone, but most commonly I can't send an e-mail with more than about 50 kb. (I use OE, but the same thing happened when I tried to use Microsoft Office Outlook.) I tried to upload a 40 kb picture last night - wouldn't go.

Because it is happening in numerous programs, I don't think it is a software issue. I changed the modem - no change, so I don't think it is a hardware deal with that.

I am running AVG. I was using 7.5 when this started and have changed to 8.0, but it was just as bad before the switch. No different if I turn off the e-mail scanner or the Resident Shield.

When I take the computer to town and hook into high speed - no problem. (Well at least as I can tell with the light speed things go at compared to what I am used to). When I go to dial up in town - same problem, so not likely to be a local line.

Telus - our only option for phones and internet out here - directs me to nice people in the Philippines who go down their list of "fixes" and then tell me to delete things from my computer and that everything will be fine when I disconnect from them and try to dial up. They all say that. All 20 or so (not kidding) of them so far... And no, there is not even an address in Canada they can give me a to write a snail mail letter to - they're it.

I strongly suspect it is a Telus problem, especially since our neighbour down the road is experiencing the same thing. Also, the connection speed has dropped to be pretty consistently 26.4. Normal had been 31.2 and 28.8.

I am not a computer person. You see most of my computer knowledge in front of you now. Any other ideas on what might be going on and what else to try so I can send proper e-mails again and upload pictures here again? Thanks in advance for using small words and typing SSSSLLLLOOOOWWWW.

[IanCantwell]

Very frustrating isn't it! I had similar problems of the connection dropping out usually at busy times of the day but fortunately I'm near an exchange and the wiring is fairly modern although 26k-32k was about average. I very occasionally get the same problem now that I'm on high speed but usually manage about 7000k.

It could be a wiring problem on the line coming into the property or the street if it's also affecting your neighbour, our overhead lines don't like the high wind. You should have got a program disc when you signed up to the service, try running that, it might have a repair installation option which will check all the settings in your computer and it might recommend you refresh your IP address (at a click of the button) which sometimes helps. Beyond that I'm as lost as you.

[Johanna]

Denise- if you could be online and on the phone at the same time, I'd walk you through a couple of things. First I'd probably delete your connection and recreate it. I'm going to point the monkey here, because he can't pound leather, but he knows his computer stuff.

~J

[dsenette]

26.4. Normal had been 31.2 and 28.8.

wow...that's barely even dialup speed (the max is 56-ish)....i remember my old 28.8 baud modem...big honkin beast that sat on the table.... it wasn't really worth connecting with

When I take the computer to town and hook into high speed - no problem. (Well at least as I can tell with the light speed things go at compared to what I am used to). When I go to dial up in town - same problem, so not likely to be a local line.

i agree...probably nothing to do with your specific phone line since if you hook up to a phone somewhere else it does the same thing

I strongly suspect it is a Telus problem, especially since our neighbour down the road is experiencing the same thing. Also, the connection speed has dropped to be pretty consistently 26.4. Normal had been 31.2 and 28.8.

this could indicate (as Ian pointed out.....is that EEE-an or EYE-an?) an issue with the local distribution site....which is probably a big grey box at the end of the street. however since you have the same problem "in town" (man livin in the boonies is great isn't it?) i would say that this probably isn't the case since they're not connecting to the same distribution point as you...

i would point my hairy monkey finger at telus (they suck to begin with even in metro areas....or so i'm told)....their local ISP demarc might have some issues (the local hub for all their connectivity...basically wherever that phone number you dial to dial up actually sits at)....of course getting an ISP to admit fault is like pulling the teeth from a bobcat while it's awake...

how's your cellphone service where you live?

[Johanna]

I think her cell phone service is two tin cans tied to a string...

What Dave means is that Telus has more traffic on their hub than they have the hardware to handle, so consequently everything slows to a crawl. Can you take your computer to town and call while you're online? We don't want to knock you offline trying any fixing, because the only thing worse than slow is dead.

Johanna

[dsenette]

yeah it's either that they're over loaded or their equipment is actually failing....either is completely possible

without looking at anything i would doubt that it's the connection profile (since in theory nothing changed with regards to the setup)...but it's worth a shot

[Denise]

Thanks for the help. Cell service in our yard is touch and go - one bar or often not available. If you walk out the driveway to the road, you get better service, but calling our house would make it long distance. ( No, it is not a long driveway! We are just between two towers. Land line wise 2 miles north is also long distance for me.) Telus has walked me through changing the connection information a few times - in different ways, of course! I will see what I can do about getting a phone and the computer online at the same time.

The speed on the internet varies so much, seemingly independently of the connection speed. Sometimes it sits forever before it changes pages and sometimes it goes really fast despite a slower speed. Huh?

[dsenette]

Sometimes it sits forever before it changes pages and sometimes it goes really fast despite a slower speed.

when it goes really fast it's PROBABLY (again without seeing it) either a "static content" kind of website where things don't change that often....or to a site you've already been to on that session...in the second scenario your PC has a cached version of the page sitting on your hard drive waiting for it to be accessed again

[Denise]

when it goes really fast it's PROBABLY (again without seeing it) either a "static content" kind of website where things don't change that often....or to a site you've already been to on that session...in the second scenario your PC has a cached version of the page sitting on your hard drive waiting for it to be accessed again

That would make sense sometimes, but not always. For example, after I post a response here, sometimes it will take 30 seconds to a minute to get the last screen when I click the back button.

I suspect there are, at times, things downloading in the background that will slow it up. I wish I knew how to shut off all the automatic update stuff that people build into their programs, especially the windows stuff. But I don't think even that is the whole problem because things will be going well, and then all of a sudden slow to an absolute crawl. If I disconnect and reconnect, it will generally go back to "normal", but not always.

[kseidel]

Denise,

I feel your pain!!! I hateed dial-up. I used a satellite service from Hughs Net. It was not great, but soooo much better than dial-up. They have many different packages available, so I don't know what the price would be for you, but it sounds like it may be your only choice for faster connections. The website is url="http://www.hughesnet.com"]www.hughesnet.com[/url]. We had a VPN using their service and the only problem was the latency between computer and satellite. Speeds were about 1.5gb two years ago. I'm sure it is faster now.

Hope you get some improvement!

Keith

[Denise]

i would point my hairy monkey finger at telus (they suck to begin with even in metro areas....or so i'm told)....their local ISP demarc might have some issues (the local hub for all their connectivity...basically wherever that phone number you dial to dial up actually sits at)....of course getting an ISP to admit fault is like pulling the teeth from a bobcat while it's awake...

I did a bit more research today and called a few neighbours. EVERYONE is having the same problem. Everyone figured it was their own computer and may or may not have told Telus. Since I have the same problem in town, I will try to find a few more people who may be having the problem and get them to phone in as well.

Monkey, what is an ISP demarc? The phone number we call is local - probably centered in Valleyview itself (no grey boxes at the end of my 7 1/2 mile long "street"). If everyone who calls 524- etc. to dial in is having the problem, maybe I can get the town to contact Telus and get some action that way. I know the mayor, so may have some pull that way. (There are some advantages to living in rural land.) Any other ideas on what may help to get a big company to listen to a lowly customer?

I have checked into the satellite option. Stupidly expensive and what I find frustrating is that it shouldn't be needed. What I had prior to May 12th was slow but good enough for all that I do. So what has changed and why won't they listen????? Grump, grump, grump.

[ClayB]

I hope you can get someone to listen to you Denise. That would be so frustrating.

We have satalite internet and has a lot of advantages over dial up. It is faster most of the time. It doesn't tie up your phone line. You can have more than one computer online (a big advantage if you have a few teenagers that need to be on MSN all the time)

It also has disadvantages. You are limited to the amount of bandwidth (uploading and downloading) you are allowed and they dont tell you that, you need to read the small print! You can buy higher packages and need to have biggest one if you have kids that download a lot of music or a movie or two. Once you reach your max bandwidth for the month, they slow you down to a speed that makes dial up seem fast. They also threaten to shut you off completly. We pay around $90 a month and it's really stupid as you said. You also loose connection when it rains or snows and sometimes for no reason at all. Seems like with technology these days, there should be better options for us that live in the boonies.

[TwinOaks]

Reading the problems listed, and having a little bit of knowlege about phone services, my thought is that Telus' PBX is severely outdated. Or, basically, the place where all the calls go is so old and technologically old that it's doing the best it can. I'd almost bet money that collectively, local bandwidth has greatly increased. Your area isn't alone, as a guy named Jerry(friend of a friend of a family member) is going all over the country and tearing out the old systems and installing new ones for the various phone companies. In some places, the removed equipment was a few decades old and still the vital comm link for entire communities. Sounds like your area, yes? Have you seen the commercial for a computer server system where there's a great big room and just one little computer, and a guy says "hey, where'd all the servers go!?!?" , the next guy says, "They're all right here." (pointing to a new and itty bitty box on the floor) It's kinda like that.

Of course, there is another option that noone has mentioned- Check and see if there's a competitor to Telus that is looking to expand. You'd probably need your political contacts to actually make those calls, but it's worth a shot.

Good luck in your endeavors.

Edited July 4, 2008 by TwinOaks

[Beaverslayer]

Denise, I'd say until Shaw Cable installs service way up north, you are going to never get rid of this problem. Telus has grown so much over the last few years, they have most likely just put places like you on the far back burner for any upgrades. Here in Calgary it takes 7 to 10 days just to get someone from Telus to come out and fix the phone lines, so we told them to cancel everything, and now it's all Shaw Cable.

I have a good friend that lives in Wembly, and he's just given up with the internet all together, as it was just way to much time waiting for a page to load, said you could almost fire up the barbie, cook steak to medium well, and still have to wait a minute or two before it loaded.

As mentioned, until Shaw gets there, I would think your best bet is the satelite, but can the expense be justified by the needs?

Good luck.

Ken

[Denise]

The frustrating thing is that it WAS working much better before May 12th, but something happened to make it not work, at least as far as uploading goes. I did some more checking last night. If I dial the local number, I can't send a 100kb e-mail. If I dial in using the (long distance to me) number from Grande Prairie (largest closest city of 100,000 or so), I can't send a 100kb e-mail. But if I dial in using the Edmonton access number - 800 kb email sent, no problem. And yes, this is repeatable. So the whole Peace Country or maybe even all of the north of Alberta is like this. The cities, which have access to high speed, work well. The areas that have no options and are a monopoly for Telus, don't. Says a lot about the company. If ANYBODY else ever gets out here, Telus will not have a customer left as I have yet to meet one person with something good to say about them. I now have the federal Telecommunications complaint line number, and I can easily find out the number for a few newspapers or TV stations. Maybe that would get some action???

[dsenette]

I now have the federal Telecommunications complaint line number, and I can easily find out the number for a few newspapers or TV stations. Maybe that would get some action???

make sure you upload any recordings of the TV coverage....i'm pretty sure if you got a big enough stink stirred up you could get some pretty good coverage..

also if there are any town hall meetings coming up (or if you can get the mayor to call one) you might be able to get the whole town in an uproar...most of them are probably in the same place you started and assume that they're the only ones having the issue....if anyone's taken their PCs in for repair and paid for it because of this issue they could probably even sue telus...

[Denise]

In case anyone is interested, I did call the Edmonton Global TV Troubleshooter line, and found out that they actually have an employee designated as the Telus complaint person!! since they get so many complaints about Telus. That was about 3 weeks ago. One week ago I heard back from Global and today I heard back from Telus themselves, via the Global contact - a "higher level technical support" person who I have repeatedly been told does not exist.

Actually, the problem was resolved about 1 1/2 weeks ago by this very person. It was a router in Grande Prairie (which does the whole of the Peace Country, anything north and west of Edmonton, about 1/4 of the land mass of Alberta) which was causing the problem. He told me he figured it out by dealing with a lady in northern Alberta. Later in the conversation he revealed that the way she had reached him was by knowing someone high up in the company and it came down from there. So... there you have it. The only way to get past the front line people in Telus is to know an executive in the company or go to the media. Or contact me. I have his direct phone number and e-mail address and he told me if any neighbours were pulling out their hair trying to deal with Telus, to give them the number and address. So if anyone has problems with dial up service from Telus - let me know and I will GLADLY pass on the information on how to connect to a human being in Canada.

[Beaverslayer]

Denise, this little statement makes Canada sound a bit backwoods, if ya know what I mean...."let me know and I will GLADLY pass on the information on how to connect to a human being in Canada." ...LOL

I actually have the contact information for a couple of Extra Terestrials if they are needed.

Glad to hear you got the problem fixed.

Ken

[Denise]

I should modify it to say "to a human being at Telus in Canada". I think they are harder to find and definitely harder to pin down than an Extra Terestrial...