Takes a long time to connect to Web sites

[skylargivens]

I just started having a new problem with Windows XP after a power
outage a few days ago.

Often, when I try to go to a Web page (in Firefox, Opera, and IE) it
says either "Connecting to [site]..." or "Stopped" for about 30 seconds
before it actually begins downloading the page. It doesn't always do
this, however. Also, the amount of time it takes before it starts
downloading can be anywhere between 10 and 45 seconds. This same
problem even happens when I run a local server and try to go to
127.0.0.1 in my browser.

The system having the problem is a triple-boot system, so I checked my
connection under Ubuntu and Windows Vista, which are working fine.
This means it's a software problem for sure.

I know that the possible causes for this are very broad, but does
anyone have an idea of what it might be?

Thanks!

 

[skylargivens]

Update:

This problem seems to be affecting any program that must connect to a
server. Google Earth and various video games are also taking a long
time to connect, so it's not just Web sites.

 

[Brian Cryer]

I just started having a new problem with Windows XP after a power
outage a few days ago.

Often, when I try to go to a Web page (in Firefox, Opera, and IE) it
says either "Connecting to [site]..." or "Stopped" for about 30 seconds
before it actually begins downloading the page. It doesn't always do
this, however. Also, the amount of time it takes before it starts
downloading can be anywhere between 10 and 45 seconds. This same
problem even happens when I run a local server and try to go to
127.0.0.1 in my browser.

The system having the problem is a triple-boot system, so I checked my
connection under Ubuntu and Windows Vista, which are working fine.
This means it's a software problem for sure.

I know that the possible causes for this are very broad, but does
anyone have an idea of what it might be?

If you had the problem following a power outage then I'd do a thorough disk
check. Windows caches a great deal and if there is a disk problem then that
can manifest itself in many different ways.

I'd suggest (assuming that Vista is the same as 2000/XP in this regard):
Start > Run
chkdsk c: /f
then reboot and let it check the disk.