Slow computer causing slow internet??

[bodhi]

Hey all,

So we finally got internet in the flat the other day! At long last!! I ran some online speed checks and they all seem to lie! One said 5mbps one said 1.5mbps! lol.

Anyway, strange thing which I'm unsure about. It's actually REALLY fast on my girlfriends computer, and REALLY slow on my computer. Any suggestions?

Mine is my Sony Vaio running Windows XP, hers is an Apple Macbook. Both are about 4/5 years old.

I've done all the usual stuff, run CCleaner, Malware Bytes, Ad Aware, Virus checker, etc etc. PC seems pretty clean. Just internet is slow.

Once pages load they're not too bad. The worst is hotmail, takes about a minute to load it up!! Loads in 2 seconds on her laptop.

Bodhi

 

[Ian]

That doesn't sound right at all if hotmail takes a minute to load . How are they connected to the router, both via wireless? If so, you could temporarily disable wireless and see if a wired connection solves the problem (which would help narrow things down, to help fix it).

 

[Abarbarian]

"Mine is my Sony Vaio running Windows XP, hers is an Apple Macbook."

Theres your answer.

Sorry I don't have any helpful advice.

 

[bodhi]

Hey Ian (or whoever else would like to comment, haha),

I've plugged my laptop into the router directly with an RJ45 cable and it's still as slow. So I guess it's not the wireless that's causing it to be so slow.

Any other suggestions??

 

[Ian]

Does it still run as slow in "safe mode with networking"? It could be any number of things, so if we try a few ways to isolate the problem we can narrow it down It's not your wireless/wired adapter so far.

 

[bodhi]

I'll try that tonight mate and let you know.

 

[bodhi]

OK, I did what you suggested Ian, and I was also scientific about it!!

I loaded up my laptop in windows safe mode with networking and logged into my hotmail account, I then logged into my hotmail account on my girlfriends laptop and timed them both.

My laptop 75seconds
Girlfriends 5 seconds

This is a BIG difference given that my laptop was faster than hers in our last flat. The difference now is we're with a new internet company with a new router.

Any suggestions? It's a weird one!!

 

[Madxgraphics]

have you run Trend Micro yet ?

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/uk/

I have a feeling you will be smiling after that. What browser are you using IE ?? Try installing Firefox and see if there is a diffference....

 

[captain zed]

Did you try turning your AV off to see does it make a difference ?

 

[bodhi]

Hey,

Well, Trendmicro won't run on my computer. It says it's updating and just freezes. I ran Kaspersky online on it and no virus or anything.

I'm stumped as to why it's so slow! :-(

 

[JaLing]

I recommend giving Chrome a go.... we installed IE8 as it's a critical update now and it has really slowed down internet browsing for our users.

You may want to clear out your DNS cache etc on your laptop... as you've changed providers this can cause query issues and thus slow down your experience.

 

[bodhi]

How do you clear out the DSN cache? Do you mean clear temporary internet files and cookies etc.?

 

[muckshifter]

How do you clear out the DSN cache? Do you mean clear temporary internet files and cookies etc.?

No, use the RUN command and type in ... ipconfig /flushdns ... that is for XP users, for vista you need to run in admin mode.

 

[bodhi]

Thanks Mucks. Will give that a bash and let you know how it goes. Might try a different browser too. Problem is, I tend to open Hotmail by clicking on the mailbox button on my MSN Messenger. I would imagine that this will always launch IE rather than another browser.

Anyway, I'll get back to you with how I get on.

P.S. I think it's time to just get a new machine. This one is approaching 5 years old! Just need to decide between a netbook or a laptop.

 

[bodhi]

Right, well I have flushed the DNS, run every spyware and virus checker on the planet and installed Firefox and it's still really slow. Infact Firefox was actually slower than IE!!

Any last min suggestions before I throw the laptop through the window?

 

[Madxgraphics]

Right, well I have flushed the DNS, run every spyware and virus checker on the planet and installed Firefox and it's still really slow. Infact Firefox was actually slower than IE!!

Any last min suggestions before I throw the laptop through the window?

Bite the bullet..BAck up all your data. Then use the Vaio Recovery partition to restore your laptop back to factory settings. I have just perofrmed said operation on my brothers laptop today after it was displaying the same symptoms (spelling?) as yours...Laptop runs like a dream now...Oh and the System recovery takes 15 minutes from start to finish, where as a fresh install would take nearer an hour..

 

[bodhi]

Hey Madx,



I was thinking I might do that! I've never run the VIAO Recovery Partition. How do I do it?



I assme it just basically reinstalls windows so you're back to the base installation and then you put your programs and data back?



Only thing is, I have office etc. on here and the disks are back with my parents in the UK. I'll lose all that won't i?

 

[Madxgraphics]

Hey Madx,



I was thinking I might do that! I've never run the VIAO Recovery Partition. How do I do it?



I assme it just basically reinstalls windows so you're back to the base installation and then you put your programs and data back?



Only thing is, I have office etc. on here and the disks are back with my parents in the UK. I'll lose all that won't i?

Yeah basically it restores Windows back to factory settings by re-installing, but as all the OS data is already on the har drive you don't have to wait forever for the data to be read and written from the media disk..

Click start, all programs, system recovery

1. Connect the PC to the AC power adapter. (Make sure you on AC Power when doing this and not battery)

2. Close all programs.

3. Click Start , click All Programs , select System Recovery , and click PC Recovery .

4. When the recovery options are presented, select the option to perform the PC Recovery and click Next .

5. The PC will restart.

6. When the Welcome to PC Recovery message displays, click OK to continue.

7. On the System Recovery panel, select System Recovery . By default, the system will perform a complete reformat and will destroy all user data.

8. Restart the PC when prompted.

As an alternate method to the steps above, click Advanced Options , and select the Destructive Recovery option, and click Next to begin the reformatting process.

The PC is in the original factory condition and all system data, such as location and date must be reconfigured.

You can now go ahead and copy all your data and progs back to your newly restored laptop.