Two quick clicks within Win7's Advanced sharing settings can boost LAN throughput by as much as 12%.

I wrote the free (no subscription required) "Top Story" in this week's WindowsSecrets.com newsletter:

One of the oddest glitches I've encountered with Microsoft's newest OS is erratic local-networking performance. Occasionally and for no obvious reason, a Win7 LAN connection will slow to a crawl — giving you that less-than-nostalgic feeling that you've gone back to a dial-up connection.

The problem seems completely random; I've never been able to reliably reproduce it. But I've seen the problem enough to know it's not some figment of my imagination. And even when everything's operating normally, I've had a sneaking suspicion that my Win7 networking is running slower than it should.

Trust me; I'm not alone in this belief. Do a quick search on the phrase win7 slow network and you'll see what I mean.

I've always suspected that the prime suspect in Win7's sometimes-sluggish network speed is the OS's HomeGroup feature, which is enabled by default. A homegroup is a kind of self-configuring workgroup that automatically sets up file- and device-sharing between Win7 machines on a local network.

But all of this was speculation — an educated guess. The only sure way to know was through testing.

So, I cooked up a series of tests and found that changing just 2 settings in Win7 takes the brakes off its LAN performance, speeding throughput by about 12%. The change is free, nondestructive, reversible, and only takes about 30 seconds!

Give it a try!

http://windowssecrets.com/2010/10/14/01-Simple-change-in-settings-pumps-up-Win7-networks

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My regular Q&A column also appears in that issue. Here's the full issue rundown:

Free content:

TOP STORY By Fred Langa Simple change in settings pumps up Win7 networks Two likely culprits in the slow-LAN mystery The HomeGroup vs. classic-networking faceoff Taking advantage of Win7's Robocopy stats Classic networking trumps Windows HomeGroup Easy steps to a significantly faster network Pros and cons of disabling HomeGroup LOUNGE LIFE By Keely Dolan Taking control of troublesome startup apps WACKY WEB WEEK By Keely Dolan Transforming a chin-warmer into bird cage

 
Paid content:

LANGALIST PLUS By Fred Langa Is data-wiping deleted files worthwhile? How to make sure erased data is gone forever Extend the life of a laptop's battery Norton Security Suite app goes missing Networking via your electrical wiring

BEST SOFTWARE By Lincoln Spector Three free, easy-to-use PC backup apps Multiple schemes for full system protection Take the KISS approach to backup applications Data backup and file management in one app The ultimate protection — backing up everything

PATCH WATCH By Susan Bradley Brace yourself for a big round of patches Internet Explorer gets 10 critical patches Microsoft Security Essentials gets an update Vista and Win7 at risk from Media Player attacks OpenType fonts could lead to exploits — again A critical patch for third-party-browser users Java for Windows — update it or drop it A critical patch for the few who need .NET Stuxnet malware gets a single punch When "important" means more than just "important" Server administrators: you're not done yet

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Full issue contents:
http://windowssecrets.com/2010/10/14

Posted via email from Fred's posterous