Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

BeholdMyGlory · 2010-08-13 14:26:59

Frequently when downloading files off the Internet, I find that the data is corrupt. For example, when downloading torrents 5-20 chunks will almost always fail (and sometimes when running a data check again after re-downloading the chunks, more chunks fail than before). HTTP downloads are affected as well. For example, just now I downloaded a RAR archive with some lossless music for an old game, and when extracting the archive six out of thirty-two files failed the CRC check.

However, my Windows partition seems to be affected as well. I have a separate Windows 7 partition, where I wanted to set up VirtualBox. But every time I downloaded the VBox binaries, it complained that some files were corrupt. I must have tried downloading the installer about five-six times before giving up. Of course, that might have been some kind of problem with the installer itself, but somehow I doubt that.

Also, I should add that I'm experiencing these problems both when using Wi-Fi and when using a wired connection.

So, any ideas what could cause this kind of connection problem? I'd like to hear Arch or Linux-specific suggestions as well (who knows, maybe it was just a fluke that I had the same problems on Windows).

falconindy · 2010-08-13 14:47:49

Does this occur with other computers on the network?

If yes, then your router is suspicious. Bypass it and connect directly to the modem. If that doesn't help, get your ISP involved.

If no, you've got a CPU or memory (perhaps power related) issue.

Last edited by falconindy (2010-08-13 14:49:15)

BeholdMyGlory · 2010-08-13 16:09:44

falconindy wrote:

Does this occur with other computers on the network?
If yes, then your router is suspicious. Bypass it and connect directly to the modem. If that doesn't help, get your ISP involved.
If no, you've got a CPU or memory (perhaps power related) issue.

I tried downloading a torrent that I've had lots of issues with on another computer, and it downloaded completely on the first try. So it would appear that this computer is alone on this issue.

If this is a CPU or memory issue, would that explain why my torrent client sometimes, after re-downloading corrupt chunks, complains about chunks that on the last check were seemingly fine? Also, how can I diagnose this issue further?

lilsirecho · 2010-08-13 16:37:05

Perhaps a repeated ping test on your internet interface will show some variability.

You may need to involve your ISP for data transmission problems if pinging doesn't indicate anything awry.

Else, it could be your eth0 hardware. Check all connectors for wear, fit, and/or contamination.

BeholdMyGlory · 2010-08-13 17:10:48

lilsirecho wrote:

Perhaps a repeated ping test on your internet interface will show some variability.
You may need to involve your ISP for data transmission problems if pinging doesn't indicate anything awry.

Considering that, as I said in my previous post, it seems to work fine on my laptop (which is connected to the same network), I doubt that it is an ISP issue.

lilsirecho wrote:

Else, it could be your eth0 hardware. Check all connectors for wear, fit, and/or contamination.

Also, considering that (as I said the the first post) I have the same issue on both Wi-Fi (wlan0) and wired (eth0), a problem with the networking hardware seems unlikely as well. (wlan0 and eth0 are separate hardware; wlan0 is a PCI card, while eth0 is integrated into the motherboard.) Of course, if they are somehow connected to the same part of the computer somewhere (I'm not very good at computer internals) I guess it could be a problem with that part.

P.S. is it possible to move a topic to another section? Maybe a moderator can do it? It seems that the hardware section is more appropriate now.

lilsirecho · 2010-08-13 17:26:53

Thanks for the data you provided.

Since both eth0 and wlan are affected on the computer, it wuld seem that memory problems are likely.

That could be checked with memtest 86.

Otherwise, the CPU temp could cause erratic behavior on downloads.

Perhaps you have added a new device to your computer recently which could cause a conflict.

Maybe wlan and eth0 are conflicting? How, I don't know. You could try by removing the wlan card.

falconindy · 2010-08-13 18:21:04

It may be possible to diagnose a CPU issue by running repeated md5sum or sha{1,256}sum tests on random files. Varying results would indicate a serious problem with the CPU circuitry. I have a suspicion that it's not memory, but it's only that -- a suspicion.

BeholdMyGlory · 2010-08-13 19:45:07

Well, after running memtest86+ a few times I can confirm that it is a memory issue. I get a boatload of errors on test 7, "Random number sequence". It's very strange, though: I've got 2*1GB of RAM, and when testing them together I get these issues. However, when testing them individually I don't get any errors at all, no matter what slot I place them in. So I only get these issues when running with both RAM sticks (is that the correct word to use? "stick"?). I really have no idea what to do here.

falconindy · 2010-08-13 22:13:10

Test with both installed, but as single channel. This all sounds more like symptoms than the actual root cause.

BeholdMyGlory · 2010-08-13 22:22:19

Well, after a bit of messing around I seem to have found some kind of workaround where the RAM sticks are placed in slots that seemingly works together. However, if I move one of the two RAM sticks to another slot I get the same problems. But to be honest, this does not bother me, as long as it works for the time being. I plan on buying a new motherboard relatively soon anyway, and I will have to buy new RAM then too (upgrade to DDR3). So, I'd say this problem is pretty much solved for me.

Last edited by BeholdMyGlory (2010-08-13 22:22:58)

lilsirecho · 2010-08-13 22:36:33

Perhaps you have an x86_64 system and the ram "sticks" have to be a matched pair.

I had a problem with 1GB sticks in my i686 asus system. I had to replace sticks twice before the 3GB setup performed correctly. They did so for several years afterward.

Can you run with one ram "stick" and attempt the downloads that failed previously as a troubleshooting operation?

EDIT:With both ram devices installed, run ...free -m...in terminal...............

Last edited by lilsirecho (2010-08-13 22:56:22)

Arch Linux

#1 2010-08-13 14:26:59

Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#2 2010-08-13 14:47:49

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#3 2010-08-13 16:09:44

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#4 2010-08-13 16:37:05

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#5 2010-08-13 17:10:48

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#6 2010-08-13 17:26:53

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#7 2010-08-13 18:21:04

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#8 2010-08-13 19:45:07

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#9 2010-08-13 22:13:10

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#10 2010-08-13 22:22:19

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

#11 2010-08-13 22:36:33

Re: Problem with Internet connection; corrupt data?

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