Problems with HDW

[MikeDee]

I am having ongoing problems with HDW downloading files slow response, down load program stopping during download. unable to connect. This has been going on since Friday

Is anyone esle having similar problems or is it just me? I sent hdw a email this morning but I havn't heard back yet. I havne't changed anything on my end and it was working fine up till Friday

[Glen]

Mike,

Everything working just fine down here. No probs over the weekend and just downloaded all results/charts for Fri-Sun a few minutes ago.

[Donnie]

May be your local provider....or one of your connection routes is down. Everything worked smooth thru the weekend in Iowa!

[MikeDee]

I even tried re-installing my browser. No help I'll wait and see what hdw says.

[hurrikane]

I haven't had any problems at all Mike. For the first time in a long time. Don't know if you have windoctor..a few time I have lost activeX controls and that hangs me sometimes

[MikeDee]

no i don't have win doctor but Ihave gone to the PC pit stop and everything checks ok there

[Gramps]

Mike: I have the same problem sometimes.

The problem could be one of the following:

1) If it takes a long time to initiate your request for files:
a) The HDW server could be busy processing other requests, and yours may be put in line to wait its turn to be processed. Due to the unlimited download policy at HDW, that's possible. b) Any Java applet is a tremendous resource hog. It's possible that it's taking a long time for the applet to load on your computer, since it's fighting for resources that might not be available until it can work its way in.

2) If the download seems to stall after a file is sent:
a) This could happen because the HDW server is busy and because it either put the request for the next file in the queue to wait its turn or simply "lost" the applet's request for another file. If it lost the request, the Applet (which is based on your computer) will request the same file again once the request times out, which is usually about 10 seconds.

3) The problem might occur if you have a lot of ActiveX controls on your system. If you have Norton Utilities, you might run Win Doctor and let it clean the old ActiveX controls out.

4) It's possible that there is network lag somewhere along the line, but this is probably the least likely of the possibilities.

Hope that helps.

[MtKen]

Mike:

Used to have problems about once or twice a week but everything's been fine for awhile.

Ken

[Donnie]

Mike, when all else fails, "bet the greys"!! ;)

[MikeDee]

Gramps

Re: item 1a:
yes I'm waiting a long time for the server to recognize my request, sometimes so long that it times out and I get the dns server error message. I am having trouble even if nothing else is running on my PC except explorer and hdw I have tried netscape same problem. I have re-installed explorer no help.

It seems that after I get the dns server error message it will load right up like it was there all the time just waiting for me to re-click.


item2: yes this is happening as well starts downloading and then stops sometimes in the middle of a file sometimes at the end of sending a file. No amount of waiting at this point works must close the download window remove the files I got from the down load cart and try again, and again and etc. until I get all the files.

Don't know about active x controls and don't have win doctor Is this something you can get from Norton for free or do you have to buy it?

HDW replied to my email and said they don't have any problems.
Ron or Jim from HDW if you should happen to be reading this. Have you added a significant number of new users? Are you doing anything different since last Friday? I have never had this kind of problem before and it just started last Friday.

I will send my ISP a email and see what they say. Thanks guys for the replies and suggestions

[ERNIE2]

Mike: it's almost a big "YES" to all the above..............and it for me it has to be the server,phone company,"hub-routing".........not just since Fri but for a long time,thank goodness that it isn't every day.........one (solution???) I use is once I get any error msg,I completly hang up(the most useless thing on my computer is a snapshot of some site I was at "last time"........can't do anything today...but here's what you read last time!!!)
the help desk at Mindspring requested that I check their trouble board to see if the service was down in my area..............I ask him how to do that .....If I could get into the service I wouldn't have any need to know that their was an outage in my area.....he had no answer.
I do think that mine runs faster and works better every time I go into internet options and clear files and history but have no way of knowing for sure.........have considered beating it with a hammer....then I would know for sure why it don't work........know that this is no real help ......For what it's worth Lynn tells me that MSN is just as bad.....that she can't get on at the theatre to send reports or recieve "stuff" from her home office........Good Luck Ernie

[jetcity]

Use At Home at home with no problems in last year.

Vacation last week on Oregon coast - Used friends account with the 800 line. Slow - Took 30 minutes to download all the races. Slow - Slow - Broke it up into chunks - like 8 files at a time and was a lot faster. Same with the result files - 8 files at a time was not too bad but really lugged when I downloaded all the filesat once

Break it into chunks and let me know

jetcity

[jetcity]

Just tested using computer at home with At Home cable

Sat Files - Race (36 Files) 20 seconds to secure files from database - 40 seconds to download
Results 15 seconds to secure and 20 seconds to download

jetcity

[MikeDee]

Erine - have tried hanging up and rebooting PC not any different closing the browser and re-opening seems to help a little

Jetcity. Seems to come a bit qucker if you don't click on as many files. Don't have to worry about breaking it up in small chunks as it usually quits after 1 or 2 files anyway so I just re-start.

A while ago I just got a server error message, so I don't think that HDW skirts are really clean is this. It might be a combination of things.

The most confusing thing is that after it times out (my explorer does not go to a old or saved frame) and I get the error page as soon as I click on refresh if pops right up like it was there all the time waiting for the refresh click..it loads faster then it would normally load.

[jetcity]

FWIW - I think this is a problem wit your ISP and the way the data is routed. Can you try another ISP like AOL. I know AOL is like betting on a lame horse but it might work. BYW I have a bunch of Free trial disks just in case. If you need one Send me an email -

jetcity@switchboardmail.com


There is also some plasce on the net that will show how the info is routed to various net addresses. I will see if i can dig it up


jet

[MikeDee]

downloaded and installed explorer 5.5 service pak2 this morning. Downloaded todays files and everything worked normally as it did before all of this started Fri. Maybe this has fixed it.

[MikeDee]

Saturday 8:53AM Tried for the last 30 min and I cannot get into HDW at all this morning. Is it just me again or is anyone else having a problem?

[Rick]

MikeDee,
I just checked and had not problem with the site.

Try another ISP. I just signed up with @ClickClickOnline.com . They are like $10 a month when paying for 3 months at a time. Are only $8.00 per month if paying a year at a time.

They are out of MD. I am getting great connect speep. Only problem I have had is that they occasionally seem to loose the signal or after dialing in I don't have a good connection.

I think I went to isps.com and looked up a list of ISP's available for my area code. Tons of them. I then started checking. I had them set me up a trial so I could make sure I could connect at above 40k.

Good luck with it.

[Glen]

Mike, you may also want to try

http://www.netzero.net/

You get 40 free hours of internet surfing per month. You just have to put up with a couple banner ads.

[Rick]

NetZero is changing to only 10 free hours a month. Still, without the banner ads bull and almost 1 hour disconnects, they are too bad for $10.00 per month.

I thought about signing up with them but I wanted to keep a free backup isp.

I am going to try Cox internet service as soon as I get the cable modem I ordered.

[MikeDee]

thanks guys