Hughesnet Community

Venting Frustration

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
leslierussell1
Freshman

Venting Frustration

OK.  I have had Hughesnet for a few years now, but over the last couple of months, I have had extremely slow internet and intermittent connection.  I will be working along and suddenly a pop up comes up and says I have no internet connection.  Ok, so I called customer service tech support.  They told me I needed to change my configuration to not using WiFi, but connect directly to the modem.  I said no, I have had this configured this way for years and it has been fine.  I was on the phone for quite a while and that support person did not help me at all.  We hung up and I felt frustrated but, kept going.  A few days later, still having the problems, I called again.  They tried to tell me the same thing, so I asked for a supervisor.  After several times of saying I wanted to talk to a supervisor, I got one and she told me that I needed to upgrade to Gen5.  I told her that every time I called they wanted more money, and she said no ma'am it is because you don't have the latest in what we are offering.  So, I went ahead and upgraded.  She was sending me a new modem for the Gen5.  OK.  So, we get the new modem and get everything all hooked up.  Within 2 days I have NO internet at all.  I call back and they decided to send a tech out the next day to see what the problem is.  I am VERY unhappy at this point.  The next day I wait, and wait, and wait.  No phone call, no tech, nothing.  So, I call customer support AGAIN.  After 5 tries of me calling back and going through that automated stuff, I finally get a human.  I ask where the tech is and they tell me one has not been assigned yet.  This is past noon.  So, while I am on the phone with him, he contacts someone and comes back to tell me that there will be a tech here in a couple of hours and "can you be around?".  I told him I really had no choice.  About an hour later, I get a phone call from some man asking me if I had talked to the tech.  No, I had not I spoke with customer service.  He says, "Oh.  I thought you talked with the tech.  OK, well he should be there within an hour."  Yeah, ok.  So in about half an hour the tech shows up and looks at the modem and then goes out and looks at the dish.  Comes back in and tells me he has changed out the transmitter arm on the dish and that should fix the problem.  OK, so I have internet again.  He runs a speed test and says everything looks great.  He leaves.  I get back to work, still slow connection, still intermittent connections, still, pop-ups saying I have no connection.  *sigh*  I figure ok, this is just what I have to live with.  Yes, I got the survey in the mail and yes, I made my frustration known on it.  Then, a few days ago I get a call from Brandon with customer support.  We talk about my frustration with all of this and he decides that the modem may be faulty and is going to send a tech out.  OK.  Next day, tech comes out.  Goes through all his testing and whatnot, he decides that my problems are because the dish outside is loose.  Tightens down screws or bolts or whatever.  Comes in and tells me all is fixed.  Gets out his laptop and runs several speed tests and they all come back looking great.  I get on my laptop...SLOW internet, intermittent connection, etc.  He has me physically connect to the modem, still slow connection, etc.  Goes into the task manager on my computer and sees that the CPU is at 100%.  Tells me "that is your problem.  Your CPU is using up all of your computer and that is what is making everything run so slow.  It shouldn't do that, but it is."  This is when I am just on the desktop and nothing is open, and it is using 100%.  And then he leaves.  So, now I am stuck.  I have no way of fixing the problem, and I still have slow connections, intermittent connections, and pop-ups telling me I am not connected.  *sigh*  And I have no one to help me fix this.

16 REPLIES 16
maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

I can see how all that chaos could drive you batty. I will tag some Hughesnet reps who patrol this site and they will be able to work with you. These are corporate reps and so have broader powers.  I hope they can help your frustration disappear.  Keep in mind, though, that it's the weekend, so they may not be around until Monday.

 

@Amanda

@Liz

@Brooke

Thank you maratsade.  I didn't really expect anyone to do anything, I guess.   I was just really venting my frustration and wanted someone to share in my misery.

maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

Don't give up, Leslie.  There are very experienced people on this site who can troubleshoot with you.  It's not quick, but it's the only way. BirdDog already suggested some stuff, and others will get on tonight and suggest some other stuff for you to try.  You're not alone, and you're not with phone help. You have a very supportive community here, and when the Hughesnet people are back, they will help too.   Edit: people care and they sympathize with you -- many have had problems that have taken some time to resolve and some hard sleuthing from the user and Hughesnet, so they know what you're going through.

 

Hang in there. 

Thank you, maratsade.  I'm not giving up.  And I did see #BirdDog's reply.  I'm just caught in between a rock and a hard place right now.  I am trying to get my college assignments and tests done, plus working online and the slowness and intermittent connections are frustrating.

maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

I've been there, and it's not a good place to be.  I'm going to ping a couple of others and hopefully they'll get online and see if they can help you. I'm sorry I'm not one of the experts here.  I've learned lots of stuff, but I don't know enough to help you.

 

@GabeU

@MarkJFine

 

Fingers crossed!

BirdDog
Assistant Professor

@leslierussell1

Rather than re-invent steps and write it all here please go here and follow the 9 steps for Windows: https://www.wikihow.com/Fix-High-CPU-Usage

 

The article is a bit dated showing Windows 7 but the procedure is basically the same for newer versions of Windows. The main thing being able to identify what process (or processes) is using a lot of CPU then take the necessary steps to stop the offending process/aplication.

 

What kind of computer do you have, what OS, and how much memory does it have?

 

This is just a start and hopefully some of the others here will jump in with their own pointers. In my experience a problem like this can sometimes take several hours to find the issue then totally fix what is causing it. Will take some persistance on your part.

 

Can not rule out a virus or malware even if you do have virus protection enabled on your computer. Do you have the Malwarebytes program installed on your computer?

 

Good luck and post back with any results/questions.

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@leslierussell1

 

It definitely sounds to me like you either have a virus, malware, the issue to which BirdDog offered a link to a fix, or even a program or process that's gone a little batty.  I had a Windows 8.1 notebook that started doing that one day.  My fix ultimately came down to a reinstall, but it worked.  

 

What Operating System do you have on your computer?  The reason I ask is that, depending on what it is, and depending on whether you can get the problem fixed via antivirus/antimalware or the fix BirdDog posted, and depending on how much it would take to save your important files, it may just be easier to reinstall Windows.  

 

This will all depend on what you have and how much you have to save from the current system.  

 

I second BirdDog's question about Malwarebytes.  Another product I suggest is Norton Power Eraser.  I normally don't care for Norton products, but this one is a free, on demand scanner that works very well to ferret out malware or viruses that others might miss.  One other free one, which I also run at least once a month, is the Microsoft Safety Scanner.  It's another free, on demand scanner that will check your system for the bad things mentioned. 

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@leslierussell1

 

If you don't know how to view what's causing it, you can press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete buttons at the same time to bring up the Task Manager.  In that Task Manager, click on the Processes tab, if it's not already on there, and then click on the CPU header.  This will change it so that the process/program/app that is using the highest CPU percentage will be at the top.  It's dynamic, so it may constantly change, but the things that are using so much of your CPU power should always be at the top if you click on CPU.  If clicking on CPU makes it so the things that are using the smallest percentage of CPU power are at the top, click CPU again to change it.  Knowing what process/program/app is causing the problem may help to know what to do to solve it.  

 

To close the Task Manager click on the X on the upper right.  

 

Capture.JPG

BirdDog
Assistant Professor

Your computer running constantly at full throttle can cause significant slowdown doing anything. You could have a virus or something else going on. Do you have anti-virus software installed and up to date?

 

The HughesNet tech is not dispatched to troubleshoot computer issues. Do you have somebody who is good at working on computers who could take a look at yours?

I know that it running at full throttle is not good  I just don't know why it is doing it.  When I go into safe mode with networking and run the speed test, it comes back with 29.24 Mbps download speed, which is what the tech got on his laptop.  And I looked and CPU usage at that point and it was almost nil.  Yes, I had thought of a possible virus, but  I do have antivirus up to date and running, so I don't think that is it.  No, I don't have anyone besides to come and look at it.  There is geek squad in Tulsa, an hour away, that I could take it to, but they cost too much for me to take it in right now.

Also, I know the Hughesnet tech isn't supposed to troubleshoot my computer.  He was just doing that because he wanted a "definitive answer", his words.

Liz
Moderator
Moderator

Good morning Leslie,

 

Thanks for posting and sharing your experience. I can understand your frustration when you're unable to do the things you need to do online. As the others have already suggested, looks like you'll need to focus on your computer and home network first. I pulled up your account to run diagnostics and the HughesNet system is working well, getting plan appropriate speeds. By chance, do you have a different device you can hook up to the HughesNet modem to see how the performance compares to your current device? This is just for troubleshooting purposes, if no other device, I'd follow the suggestions given by our fellow community members.

 

 

If you have a tech or billing question and need help, please start a new thread in the appropriate board. Unsolicited Private Messages may not get replies.

Slow performance? Click me!

It's an HP laptop running Windows 10.  Not sure about the memory on it.  At the moment I am using my older laptop to connect, it has Windows 7 on it.  No problems with other devices.  Just the HP when it is connected to the 5GHz connection on the modem.

Thanks, Leslie, good thing you have another laptop that works well.

 

If you have a tech or billing question and need help, please start a new thread in the appropriate board. Unsolicited Private Messages may not get replies.

Slow performance? Click me!

Hi Leslie,

 

It's been a while since we last heard from you, so we will close this thread. If you still have concerns, please start a new thread and include a detailed explanation so we can better assist you.

 

 

If you have a tech or billing question and need help, please start a new thread in the appropriate board. Unsolicited Private Messages may not get replies.

Slow performance? Click me!

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@leslierussell1

 

Like Liz, I'm glad that you have another computer that you can use in the interim.  

 

With regard to the PC in question, I would definitely go through the Processes in the Task Manager and take a look at just what it is that is using so much of your CPU.  Hopefully it's a single thing, as it can make the fix that much simpler and easier.

 

If you're not able to determine why what's using so much of the CPU power is doing so, or you just don't feel comfortable in knowing what programs should or shouldn't be uninstalled, it would help if you could post a snapshot of the Processes in the Task Manager, which would be just like the the snapshot I posted.  That way we may be able to see what's going on and guide you to the next step.  

 

If you're familiar with the Snipping Tool that is built into Windows 10, you can use that to get the snapshot and post it on here (using the Photos button at the top of the message body when you're typing a reply).  You can also take the snapshot on the Windows 10 computer, transfer that snapshot to the computer you're presently using, and reply/upload it with that.  

 

The following is about the Snipping Tool....  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13776/windows-use-snipping-tool-to-capture-screenshots