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Bagpuss

Why so slow?

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My laptop has been really slow lately, and it's getting on me wick. I can't listen to music on YouTube anymore, because it continually stops during the video's or doesn't ever finish loading the page. Sometimes I click on something (ie, replying on here) and it just takes forever, with me little circley thing going round, and round, and round :hypno::hypno: while it's thinking about what to do.

 

I decided, in my complete technophobic state, that it must be some sort of virus, so decided to download some form of protection. Started with AVG, because a] it's free and b] this is what we had on previous laptop, and it began downloading, saying "Estimated download time 10 hours" :o:unsure: Shut it down, tried it again...same thing.

 

Is it nuffink to do with me puter and soley down to the company who provides our wireless internet, or should/could I do something to rectify it?

Edited by Bagpuss

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Mine's doing the same, particuarly with this forum :( It's all the piccies it's having trouble with and either it takes ages with the circle going round and round or gives up and gives me lots of red crosses......

 

I assume it's something on my laptop, but maybe not, as it's mainly this forum and Facebook I'm having issues with which are both obviusly cookie-a-fied. Maybe we got crumbs in the workings? :unsure::eat:

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I don't even know what a cookie is, apart from the obvious edible ones :lol:

 

I just tried to reply to a thread, and wrote out reply, pressed Add Reply and it just did nothing........round, and round, and round.

 

Gave up in the end, and found the only thing that worked was pressing the arrow to go back.

 

I'm having probs on alot of sites atm, not just here. DS has also said he's finding his laptop so slow he's constantly being killed on Runescape, not good, not good at all :shame::lol:

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You probably have to many applications running, click CTRL ALT and DELETE to bring up the task managar to see whats running then click on Processes to see what application or module is eating your resourses, I have no problems with this site or facebook.

Also go to http://www.speedtest.net/ and see what speed your ISP is providing you.

 

You could be short on HDD space as that often slows down a computer, Perhaps a defrag will help?

 

I,ve never tried AVG but if its anything like Norton then it will take up a lot of resources then you will be better off with using Zone Alarm Pro or Zone Alarm Seurity suite which are firewalls with anti virus and spyware protection.

 

Another good site to check your firewall is doing its job is www.grc.com and click on shields up.

 

To check Pc Performance go to www.pcpitstop.com and run there tests :)

 

I hope I have been of some help and assistance.

 

 

Paul

Edited by Beano

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I have used AVG for years, and never had a virus go through with it...now with Norton my computer got riddled!

 

Bagpuss I would be suspecting your laptop is infected with a virus. What platform are you running on..Windows what or MAC?

 

If your windows XP or above try restoring the system back to before this started. Run a virus scan. If all that works turn off the restore system, shut down, switch on then turn on the restore system. If you have a virus the scan will catch it and turning off the restore system will prevent it going into the log and starting off again when you next switch on.

 

Delete temporary files and cookies (disk clean up) and defragment.

 

I am no expert, I sure some on here is, just been 'infected' in the past.

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Hi baggy - I agree it does sound like a virus or something (unless you have just changed something in your internet settings and are now either connected at a slower speed or have addtional background programmes running) especially as you've been online without any protection at all from the description you give :shame: (a recent test went online with a new PC with no protection software at all running... it was infected well within the first minute of logging on)

Using system restore won't stop the virus from running again when it's next 'triggered', so it's best to leave that for now and get antivirus running first...

Also, avoid closing programmes/processes by task manager unless you are sure what they do - they might be hogging resources for a reason...

If you can't download AVG yourself, get someone else to download it and copy it to a memory stick for you... (make sure it's the latest version but double check it is the free version - AVG 8 doesn't yet have a freeware version to my knowledge)...

also get their (or some other) freeware anti-spyware and/or 'spybot', as this sounds more 'malaware' than 'virus' if that is what's going on...

Run all of the programmes and delete/vault anything they find... in the meantime, stay off of the internet as much as possible...

 

BD

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Thanks all....feel really daft, but havn't got a blooming clue what anyone is talking about :hypno: Never heard of a memory stick :lol:

 

I managed to download Norton last night, after finding a logo on my puter screen, and discovering I had a free 90 days trial that came with laptop :oops: and did a scan, and it said only one threat, a cookies tracker which was a low threat apparantly. What the flip is that? Anyhow, stuck in isolation or something, or maybe quarantine? :unsure:

 

Tried again with AVG, no luck, saying hours to download, then stopping saying files corrupt :wacko:

 

Going to go offline till I get it sorted, and taking it to my lovely little puter shop (they know me well :lol: ) and ask them to put some protection on.

 

Tat ta for now...will be back when I am no longer corrupted :ph34r:

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Tried again with AVG, no luck, saying hours to download, then stopping saying files corrupt

 

That can sometimes happen at busy times, but also if a virus is lurking in the backgorund...their job is to knock out the anti virus first

 

Tat ta for now...will be back when I am no longer corrupted

 

Welllllllllllllllllll I didn't like to say but you seem a little stange ;):D

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Never heard of a memory stick :lol:

Also known as an elephant's trunk - it's why they never forget. You jam the end of the trunk into any available hole on the computer, wind the elephant up by swinging currant buns just out of its reach and taunting it, then it sucks up a copy of all your files so you never lose anything again - unless of course you lose your elephant, which many people seem to do, as they can never see them in rooms ... :unsure:

 

a cookies tracker which was a low threat apparently. What the flip is that? Anyhow, stuck in isolation or something, or maybe quarantine? :unsure:

Oh, great thanks :angry: That was my secret satellite used to know when a batch of Lya's oatmeal and raisin cookies had just come out the oven... :eat: Not only have you now told everyone of its existence, you've put it in quarantine with all the Mr Woofs wanting to fly abroad ... :P:rolleyes:

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Guest Lya of the Nox
Oh, great thanks :angry: That was my secret satellite used to know when a batch of Lya's oatmeal and raisin cookies had just come out the oven... :eat: Not only have you now told everyone of its existence, you've put it in quarantine with all the Mr Woofs wanting to fly abroad ... :P:rolleyes:

 

and i am assuming that your satellite is saying there is none

not baked for ages, keep getting up and saying i will today, then my hands and arms hurt too much :(

and am scared to do too much cos i dont know what be wrong

x

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Baggy

 

Everyone has jumped to the conclusion that it is a virus/spyware on your PCthat is the problem (And it could well be) but it is worth checking out a few other things too:

 

A few questions that might help:

 

Do you constantly get little pop-up windows advising you that your computer may be infected and advising you click on the link and but anti-spyware software?

 

How do you connect to the internet? Do you plug in directly to the modem for broadband (BT or Cable) or are you connecting via wireless?

 

Is the laptop slow when wordprocessing etc, or just when connected to the internet?

 

Does the laptop take a lot longer to boot up that it used to, even when not connected to the internet?

 

Does anyone else in the house have a PC, and is there PC working normally?

 

Good luck!

 

Simon

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im no expert

 

but-i had similar probs

im on xp my son downstairs on vista-with the vista i was sat for ages and i mean ages trying to do stuff on it

 

i was told it is slower and

 

i had wirless router connected to mine so he could get net through me -im connected to virgin modem.

 

well i had the not been able to watch u tube ect for months plus msn all delayed --was in the end the wirless rotuer

 

so back to shop it went(belkin)

got another one-that is designed for virgin-i didnt know certain ones worked better with certain networks.....(netgear)

and i had no probs with that

except it packed up on me-so back to shop

sigh........ongoing saga

got a replacwement same one -as apart from it packing up it worked great.

rq xxx

Edited by rainbow queen

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As both you and you're son are having the same sort of problems my instinct would be it is more likely to be to do with the internet connection itself.

 

The first thing I'd be interested in is does the speed it seems to load pages vary through out the day, (it maybe worth clearing the cache between each try to check it is loading the images fresh each time - go to 'tools', 'internet options' then 'delete files'. You can also clear all the cookies if you're worried though would need to re-enter passwords for the various sites you visit such as here,) if it does vary through the day the chances are it is to do with others who you share you're internet connection with. Most internet service providers have customers share a connection, if this is the case you would have a contention ratio which tells you how many others you share you're connection with. At peak times more people are on so the bandwidth is split more ways which can really slow down the speed pages load at.

 

The next thing that could change is you're lines maximum possible throughput. Most internet services nowdays automatically scan and give you the best possible connection rate for you're line. If for some reason the noise on the line increases or the power drops (both normally due to a bad connection - we have a repetitive one at the base of the phone pole outside our house) the speed that is provided to you would drop. On fixed bandwidth connections (e.g. if it is always at 2Mb) the connection would just drop altogether which is what used to happen to us.

 

Another possible cause is the router itself. Assuming it is nothing major the easiest way to check this isn't the problem would be just to cycle the power on the modem.

 

Wifi also can cause problems. It's connection speed depends on the strength of the signal from the base station to the reciever. This could have suddenly got worse if you have a neighbour who has just got wireless or by other house hold objects like cordless phones, microwaves, etc... If possible I'd always recommend going for a wired network. However if it has to be wireless you can broadcast on a range of different channels so could always see if changing it to a different one helps.

 

I'll leave it at that for now. Let us know how you get on and I'm sure some of us should be able to help you further. All told we have quite a breadth of knowledge here. :)

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Hi all, just a quickie cos I'm perched on DS's beanbag, and it ain't pretty :lol:

 

Turns out our laptop is fine, it's the router :fight: DS began complaining that his laptop was doing the same, so DH rang our internet provider, who did some tests, and discovered the problem. Unfortunately I'd already taken our laptop to the shop. However, they had checked it, all ok, and downloaded security for it. So, they are coming on Thursday, to sort out a new router for us, and bring us our laptop back....so for now, I've nabbed DS's, and only have a short cable to allow us internet access.............oh, eck, I'm falling off the beanbag :lol:

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Me lovely laptop fella came out today, with me laptop, all protected, and a new router............it's all working fab :thumbs:

 

I dunno why he said "see you soon" as he was leaving :shame:

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