Before we begin I suppose I should start providing some sort of warning as to the perils of editing the registry. Not that this will stop many of you from taking the plunge risking your computers to some anonomous stranger who posts the occasional blog =P

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

So why are the download sessions limted?

According to Microsoft this is to comply with current Internet standards (Request for Comments 2068), Internet Explorer limits the number of simultaneous downloads to two downloads, plus one queued download. This configuration is a function of the browser. However, as connection speeds increase, and the number of total connections that are allowed to Internet servers increase, the two-connection limit may be restrictive.

Enough already now how do you do it?

To increase the number of simultaneous connections that are allowed to 10, follow these steps:

1. Start the run
2. on the run line type regedit and click the ok button
3. Maneuver to the following key in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
4. On the Edit menu, point to New click DWORD Value, and then add the following registry values:

Value name: MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
Value data: 10
Base: Decimal

Value Name: MaxConnectionsPerServer
Value data: 10
Base: Decimal

5. Close the Registry Editor by clicking the red X in the upper right hand part of the window.
6. Reboot the computer

The information as well as the procedure was obtaned frm the Microsft Knowlegebase where it is indicated that this is for informational purposes only. Changing the maximum number of connections beyond two is a violation of Internet standards; as such Microsoft does not recommend this procedure for use outside closed networks. Now I’m sure none of you would ever want to violate such an important albeit antiquated rule. ;-}