When using the browser, the page comes up quickly, but
then it hangs for several minutes before I can continue.
My DSL is working properly, but the browser is way too
slow. What can be causing this? TIA
In order to figure out what's causing this behaviour, you need to find out
what's happening in the first place.
Is the browser waiting on your processor / system, on your network, or on the
server providing the webpage? To answer this, you need some tools.
DUMeter (which is free to tryout, costs to use permanently, but is well worth it
IMHO) will graphically show you what network traffic is present on your system.
<
http://www.dumeter.com/>.
Port Explorer (free to use in limited functionality, costs a bit for added
functionality, and is worth the cost) will show you where your network traffic
is going. <
http://www.diamondcs.com.au/portexplorer/index.php?page=home>.
Process Explorer (free) will show you what processes, foreground and background,
as well as system processes, are running on your system.
<
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/procexp.shtml>.
Do a little analysis - try downloading pages from different websites, at
different times of the day. Try with different programs running on your
computer. Observe the displays of DUMeter, Port Explorer, and Process Explorer.
If the problem points to your computer, then you have to look for unknown
programs - aka spyware / viruses.
How current is your virus protection? Try these free online virus scans:
<
http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/license.php>
<
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm>
<
http://security.symantec.com/ssc/home.asp>
<
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp>
Now check for, and learn to defend against, additional carriers of infection.
Have you downloaded these programs before? Download them again, as many are
revised frequently, to keep up with the current level of malware being attempted
constantly - get the absolutely most current version of each product listed.
They're all free - and most pretty small, so they download quickly enough.
First, download LSP-Fix and WinsockXPFIx from <
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm>,
and CWShredder from <
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4086.html>. All are
free.
Next, close all Internet Explorer and Outlook windows, then run CWShredder.
Have it fix all variants.
Now check for, and remove, spyware. Get HijackThis
<
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=3155> and Spybot S&D
<
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=download>. Both free.
1) Install and run Spybot. First update it ("Search for updates"), then run a
scan ("Check for problems"). Trust Spybot, and make all recommended deletions.
2) Install and run HijackThis. Do NOT make any changes immediately. Save the
HJT Log.
3) Have your HJT log interpreted by experts at one or more of the following
forums (and post it here):
<
http://forums.net-integration.net/>
<
http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/>
<
http://forums.tomcoyote.org/>
<
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/>
If removal of any spyware affects your ability to access the internet (some
spyware builds itself into the network software, and its removal may damage your
network), run LSP-Fix and / or WinsockXPFIx.
And BTW, please don't contribute to the spread, and success, of email address
mining viruses. Learn to munge your email address properly, to keep yourself a
bit safer when posting to open forums. Protect yourself and the rest of the
internet - never post your address unmunged.
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
