[G4] Bandwith dropped

[Michael]

My G4:

400Mhz, (A G-E.... OS 10.4.3) 1/2 Go o' Ram.  On a LAN w/ a D-Link 
router...cable to the router, Comcast broadband. It's networked 
w/WinXPPro/W2k & and an old W98 lapper. (Simple WORKGROUP)

Ok, in the past couple of days my DL bandwidth on he G4 seemed 'slow'.

I wuz right!

Yep, in multiple tests - - the XP & 98 are getting 6-8Mb\s DL and the 
Mac is barely breaking 3Mb\s!
(The upload on all is  350-500+ Kbs)

I have no problem with the smb connection to the Win machines...It was a 
bit tricky, but both machines communicate well...but, each is hooked to 
the router, no Internet Connection Sharing. So, my prob is with the 
Internet connection only, only w/ the Mac and not with the LAN to the 
other boxes....

In the past,(If the G4 got funky)  I could go to the Network and kill 
the DHCP, get a new connection and it would be up to speed. No luck.

I've rebooted (unplugged) the modem, the router...(I run Disk Utility 
daily just because I was told it's 'a good thing to do')

I've rebooted, ----

Hey, I've done everything to 're-establish' a connection or clean out 
any grunge in the G4 which might be choking it.

Nuttin' changed.

  The Winboxes are getting the juice (Twice the DL speed?!) & I can't 
figure why the G4 is hitting the wall at half the DL speed!

Even the old Win98 lapper is OK on the same router. If anything, the G4 
was a bit zippier because I have loads of 'protection' on the 
Winboxes...I feel a bit safer with he Mac...Nothing should be 'in the 
way'.  (& no "new changes")

Nope, I've made no changes in anything in months.  Plus, this all 
happened in the last few days...w/no new apps - - no changes in anything?

I'm at a loss.  Nothing I've done on the Mac will get the DL speed back 
up to the 6-8 MB/s which it and the other machines on the LAN always got!

Yeah, from one day to the next it was on par with the Win boxes and 
nothing I've been able to do to it has mattered.  It's stuck at half the 
bandwidth (DL only) that it used to get and the Win machines are still 
getting.

Don't know if it matters?  On large DL's?  If I hit a stubborn packet, 
it is reluctant to resume...Any drop (less than the already low DL 
speed) and it doesn't 'bounce back'.
Yeah, all machines it a blip and recover...the G4 gets smacked & doesn't 
even return to the sloooooow DL speed.

No 'routine' seems to be able to bring it back to speed...I've tried 
every trick I know and upon re-connect it's just not behaving.

michael