Want a little extra boost on IE download speeds and are not afraid to disobey the HTTP protocol conventions?
ยป Increase the number of simultaneous connections in Internet Explorer 4.0 and above.
By default the number of simultaneous connections to a HTTP 1.0 server is 4, to a HTTP 1.1 server is 2.
To change these limits, use Regedt32 to navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
On the Edit menu, add the following REG_DWORD value names:
MaxConnectionsPerServer – The number of simultaneous requests to a single HTTP 1.1 Server. The default is 2. MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server – The number of simultaneous requests to a single HTTP 1.0 Server. The default is 4.
NOTE: Increasing these defaults is a violation of the HTTP protocol, and should only be performed if absolutely necessary.
[via JSI]
Additional note to those behind a proxy: Make sure you have Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections checked on in Advanced IE config.