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Whenever I send a file from one machine running Windows XP to another it goes very slowly! The Windows Task Manager shows that I am using only 1 - 2% of my network bandwidth to send the file. I am surely that there should be a way to improve this speed! But how?
I know about collisions and how they affects the limit of network speed, but my network activity at the moment is 0% (I am neither surfing internet nor doing any other work on computer).
Can someone explain this to me?
How are the two computer's connected (via hub / switch) ? What is the NIC speed on both the computer (10, 100, 1000 Mbps) ? How is the quality of the cables (CAT5,...) ? What about the TCP stack lost packages? Which application are you using to transfer files?
I am using Cat5e cable throughout my network. I have 100Mbps NICs on both the computer, although I have to slow one of them down to 10Mbps in the past in order to connect them reliably.
I am transferring the files through Windows Explorer (just copy and paste as normal) in network location.
Could that be the problem of Windows which is slowing me down?
It sounds to me a wire problem. Probably one of the wire is bad and causing you the problem. Generally, cables and especially connectors can break over time. Just reconfirm from a professional cable tester.
You can also try using a new and tested cable. A bad network setup can also cause these problems.
Also check the collisions counter of the Ethernet stack, and especially watch it when sending over a file. If it increases incredibly, then something is really wrong. If you have a switch the collisions counter should be zero actually.
"netstat -e" command will help you achieve this.