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Speeding up and tweaking your Internet connection is one of those subjects that continues to baffle so many people. The subject matter has become cluttered with misinformation, rumor, and confusion. It's like adding accessories to your car to make it run faster except you are adding things to your computer. If the work is done right, your car will benefit from it. If it's done the wrong way which there are a number of ways to, then it will do more harm than good.

Most people blame all of their connection speed problems on their modems but they are only one part of the connection process. Factors such as processor speed, available RAM, the condition of your phone line, the distance of your location from the telephone company, your ISP's equipment, Web traffic, and a site's popularity affects how quickly you can navigate the Internet from your home computer. Despite all of these numerous obstacles, here are a few steps to getting speedier connections:

• The first thing you want to do is perform some basic maintenance on your computer. Run tasks such as a disk defrag, scan disk, virus scan, spy ware scan, and clean up your recycle bin. More often than not a slow Internet connection is a sign that your computer is infected with viruses or other malware. Try deleting old and temporary files which are no longer used. The free space on your C: drive should always be than 10% of the total size or twice the installed RAM. A computer with regular maintenance operates much better than one with none at all.
• You may just need to perform an upgrade on your computer. If your computer is old and slow, it doesn't matter how fast of an Internet connection you have, your whole experience online and off will be slow.
• Next, look into optimizing your cache or temporary Internet files. This improves your overall Internet performance by not having the same file downloaded again and again. If a website puts a graphic on every page of their site, your computer will then only download it when it changes. If you delete the temporary files, that graphic needs to be downloaded again. If the cache is disabled, every time you visit that page, your computer will download that graphic every time. Look for the "Tools" button at the top of your web browser window and choose "Internet Options". Once there, click on the "Settings" button next to Temporary Internet Files and set "Check for newer versions" to "Automatically". The amount of disk space to use should be 2% of your total disk size or 512 MB.
• Don't bypass your router to increase connection speeds. Your average routers come with a firewall which makes it very difficult for hackers to access your home computer. If you don't use or need wireless internet then I recommend connecting your computer directly to the router. Your router will slow down your connection but only by a few milliseconds. Is it really worth having your computer hacked into for that increase in connection speed?
• Maybe you just suffer from poor internet connection service at your home. Call your Internet service provider and speak to a technician who can check from there without sending out a a tech rep.

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If you are in need of extra cash until pay day, you may want to consider applying for a pay day or check loan online. A pay day loan can be obtained online and with no credit check. Bad credit will not disqualify you from qualifying for a pay day loan. You can use the money for what ever purpose necessary and the money can often be deposited into your checking account the very same day you apply. All you need is a checking account, and a steady source of income and you can get up to 1000 dollars or more deposited directly into your checking account.

A pay day loan is designed to fulfill your short-term financial needs and should not be used as a regular lending source. The fees charged for pay day loans can be higher than a traditional loan from your bank and should only be used to solve temporary or emergency financial crises. Repeatedly obtaining pay day loans can cost you a lot of money if you extended your pay off date numerous times or if you continually borrow against your next pay check. If a short term pay day loan is the best choice for you, you can be approved and have up to 1000 dollars or more deposited into your checking account sometimes as soon as the very same day you apply.

Pay day loan interest rates vary from company to company. Some lenders offer discount rates for new or returning customers. After supplying the pay day loan company with the required information, usually your name, address, employment and banking information, you can be approved in as little as one hour and the funds can often be in your checking account the very same day. Occasionally you may be required to fax your last pay check stub and bank statement prior to approval, but the funds can still be deposited into your checking account very quickly.

Bad credit should not stop you from applying for a pay day loan. There will be no credit check, only the verification of the information you supply. Pay day loan companies do not check your credit report or contact your employer, except as necessary to verify employment. Applying and getting approved is quick and convenient. Online lenders can approve you application quickly and you'll have the cash you need as soon as the very day you are approved.

To view our list of recommended online payday loan companies, visit this page: Recommended Payday Loan Companies Online.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide. ABC Loan guide is an informational website about various types of loans. The site has informative articles and the latest finance news.

It doesn't matter what size your business is ... small, medium, or large. Having to determine how much bandwidth is needed for a new computer network, or upgrade of an existing one, is enough to make anyone break out in a cold sweat.

You can relax. Here's a simple guide to walk you through the minefield... and get you to the other side.

This should be approached from two angles - the first is to figure out where you are, and the second is where you need to go.

(1) Where you are - You need to have a sense of what you have now and how is it being utilized. Get an inventory of your current data and voice circuits. The monthly bills will give you a sense of call volume. You can ask your telecom provider for a report that will tell you max concurrent lines in use. This will be helpful to determine call volumes. For example if you have three PRIs, you may find that at times you have all channels in use at the same time. This could indicate capacity issues.

If you don't have any network monitoring in place, a tool like PRTG (cheap) or MRTG (free) can give you a sense of bandwidth and traffic type. Are people streaming videos all day long? Is it important for them to do so?

2) Where you're going - Once you get a handle of where you are, you need to understand what the business goals are for the next year or two. If they expect to add people, this means more capacity. If they want to improve sharing or data or extend systems across multiple locations, this may mean private networks. Adding more people? This means bandwidth and call volume may go up - especially if it is sales or customer support since they are one the phone more often.

As far as circuit selection, that is driven off what is available by providers in your area and how much does it cost for a term (12,24, 36 mo). Typically, you can get T1s just about anywhere, but you are limited to 1.5Mbps increments. This means you need more cards in your routers. After bonding 4-6 T1' it may be better to look at another circuit type. Check to see if ethernet/fast ethernet or fiber is available. These give you the most flexibility in increasing bandwidth as time goes on.

Based on circuit costs, I would not really go more than 36 months - 24 may be better. Also, go competitive bid if you can for services. If the LECs know you are looking for around, they will be more competitive in their pricing. If you'd like assistance with this just let us know....it's what we do. Plus our services are no cost.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

It doesn't matter what size your business is ... small, medium, or large. Having to determine how much bandwidth is needed for a new computer network, or upgrade of an existing one, is enough to make anyone break out in a cold sweat.

You can relax. Here's a simple guide to walk you through the minefield... and get you to the other side.

This should be approached from two angles - the first is to figure out where you are, and the second is where you need to go.

(1) Where you are - You need to have a sense of what you have now and how is it being utilized. Get an inventory of your current data and voice circuits. The monthly bills will give you a sense of call volume. You can ask your telecom provider for a report that will tell you max concurrent lines in use. This will be helpful to determine call volumes. For example if you have three PRIs, you may find that at times you have all channels in use at the same time. This could indicate capacity issues.

If you don't have any network monitoring in place, a tool like PRTG (cheap) or MRTG (free) can give you a sense of bandwidth and traffic type. Are people streaming videos all day long? Is it important for them to do so?

2) Where you're going - Once you get a handle of where you are, you need to understand what the business goals are for the next year or two. If they expect to add people, this means more capacity. If they want to improve sharing or data or extend systems across multiple locations, this may mean private networks. Adding more people? This means bandwidth and call volume may go up - especially if it is sales or customer support since they are one the phone more often.

As far as circuit selection, that is driven off what is available by providers in your area and how much does it cost for a term (12,24, 36 mo). Typically, you can get T1s just about anywhere, but you are limited to 1.5Mbps increments. This means you need more cards in your routers. After bonding 4-6 T1' it may be better to look at another circuit type. Check to see if ethernet/fast ethernet or fiber is available. These give you the most flexibility in increasing bandwidth as time goes on.

Based on circuit costs, I would not really go more than 36 months - 24 may be better. Also, go competitive bid if you can for services. If the LECs know you are looking for around, they will be more competitive in their pricing. If you'd like assistance with this just let us know....it's what we do. Plus our services are no cost.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.