Tweek your internet connection/bandwidth

Donagh_mc

Microsoft reserve 20% of your internet bandwidth for updates, error reporting and other Microsoft staff. So, with simple settings changes you will get back your 20% of internet bandwidth or speed.

Click: Start/Run and type "gpedit.msc" without the quotes. This will open the group policy editor.

Follow these steps

1. Navigate to the following file

Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Network -> QOS Packet Scheduler -> Limit Reservable Bandwidth


2. Double click on Limit Reservable Bandwidth. Windows will say it is not configured, but the real status is shown under the 'Explain' tab: "By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default."

3. Check "Enable" and then set it to "0" (ZERO)

Done

NOTE: Doesn't work with XP home or any version before that

WizZard

This is a fallacy and a myth.

1. Most computers connect to an internet router over ethernet, and this setting works on the link speed (usually 100Mb/s or greater for modern ethernet). It's not 20% of your "internet bandwidth". Unless of course your internet connection is 100Mb/s
2. It doesn't reserve it, it simply sets a threshold at what can be reserved by a QoS (API) aware application.
3. More info on what the setting does is here