Cable Modem and xDSL Optimization Guide Date: June 26, 2000 IntroductionWin98 Registry SettingsWinNT/2k Settings and Testing

Windows 98 Registry Settings

Now that you have taken the proper preparations, it's time to optimize your Windows 98 registry for high speed Internet access.

Step 1: Open your Windows registry by clicking on Start > Run. From the run prompt type "regedit". This will bring up your registry.

DefaultRcvWindow

The first, and possibly only, variable that we will add to the registry is the DefaultRcvWindow string. You will need to navigate through your registry to the following location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE System CurrentControlSet Services VxD MSTCP

By default, Windows 98 sets the DefaultRcvWindow to 8192, which is simply too small for high-speed Internet connections. In order to optimize your Internet connection you will need to add the "DefaultRcvWindow" string value to your registry.

1. Right mouse click in right window of the registry and select "New > String Value"

2. Name the string "DefaultRcvWindow"

3. Next you will need to input a number, which will increase the amount of data your computer is prepared to receive from the Internet through the ethernet card. This is where the magic happens, as finding the right DefaultRcvWindow value is the key to dramatically increasing your Internet connection speed. However, a value that is too high can hinder your connection resulting in higher packet loss.
   
   We recommend trying the following values: 32767 (32 K) or 65535 (64 K)
   
   Other recommendations we have found is to find a number that is a multiple of MSS, which is the MaxMTU setting minus 40. By default Windows sets the MaxMTU setting to 1500 when using Ethernet connections, therefore the MSS value is 1460.
   
   Other recommended values include: 32120, 64240, 93440, 186880, and 372300
   
   It's best to try out each of the settings above to find the one that will give your Internet connection the highest boost.
   
   

4. Reboot your computer.

MaxMTU

Some of you may be familiar with the MaxMTU setting, which is used to improve modem Internet connections. However, with Cable and xDSL Internet connections that use an Ethernet connection, Windows sets the MaxMTU setting to 1500 by default. Therefore, modifying this value is not needed with most Cable and xDSL connections.

However, if your xDSL uses PPPoE you can try modifying MaxMTU to a value between 1400-1492 (try 1492) and test to see if it makes a difference. Specifically setting the MaxMTU to 1500 when using PPPoE will create packet loss problems that will hinder your connection. Nonetheless, here's the procedure:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE System CurrentControlSet Services Class NetTrans 000x

The "x" in "000x" will be a number, most likely 1, and will contain the IP address of the network adapter you need to edit. Make sure the IPAddress value is set to the IP address that your network adapter uses to access the Internet. If the IP address does not match, simply choose another 000x folder until you find the correct one with the matching IP address.

1. Now you will need to create the MaxMTU setting by right clicking in the right window and selecting "New > String Value".

2. Name the new string "MaxMTU" and set the value to "1492" (for users with PPPoE xDSL only!). If you have a normal Cable or xDSL connection you can try this setting if you want, in which you will want to set the value to 1500.

3. Reboot

That's all for Windows 98! Some of you may be wondering about other registry entries such as DefaultTTL and PMTUDiscovery. While some guides suggest inserting such values into the registry, these settings for the most part do not effect connection performance. If you are further interested in learning more about registry settings under Windows 98, you can check out Microsoft's technical documentation. Otherwise, check out the next page for more information on testing your improved connection.

Next Page - WinNT/2k Settings and Testing

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