Does anybody else have this bandwidth problem?

[warning9]

I'm happily browsing the internet with firefox/safari and I decide to open up iTunes in order to play some music and it starts to download video podcasts. No problem right? I like to watch video podcasts... except suddenly, the pages I try to load in firefox start to hang. It is like they all start to time out. Until I pause the iTunes downloads, then everything starts to work properly again. It is not only iTunes that hogs the pipe, I also have this problem everytime time machine makes a backup. Does anybody else experience this? Anyone know how to fix it? I don't remember having this problem back when I was a windows user. I might just need a fresh OS/X install...

 

[ChrisA]

I'm happily browsing the internet with firefox/safari and I decide to open up iTunes in order to play some music and it starts to download video podcasts. No problem right? I like to watch video podcasts... except suddenly, the pages I try to load in firefox start to hang. It is like they all start to time out. Until I pause the iTunes downloads, then everything starts to work properly again. It is not only iTunes that hogs the pipe, I also have this problem everytime time machine makes a backup. Does anybody else experience this? Anyone know how to fix it? I don't remember having this problem back when I was a windows user. I might just need a fresh OS/X install...

No, Windows is the ONLY operating system where re-instaling does any good. reinstalation will only put you exactly back in the same place.

I'll bet you are using a wireless connection to both the Internet and the Time machine disk. If so then the bandwidth bottle neck is the wireless connection. Either move closer tothe router, change the antenna direction or (best) use a wired connection.

If I'm wrong about being wireless then you will have to describe your setup in some detail

 

[warning9]

I use a wireless connection and a wired connection. It happens on both. The wired connection goes from my computer to a linksys 8 port switch which also has my time machine drive connected to it. The switch also connects to my dsl modem. The computer is a MacBook 13in unibody.