My PC is driving me nuts.

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Topic Author
island
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Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2013 1:45 pm

My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by island »

Since getting an IPad I mostly surf the net on that, but in general still prefer using my PC, except not a fan of when Windows changed from being able to pull up everything I need from a start menu list along the lower left corner to the tile display where nothing seems intuitive or orderly.

Anyway I can deal with that, but what's driving me nuts is now just about every time I try to open a webpage I get a message along the bottom telling me webpage not responding, need to reload, even happens on my homepage! Repeatedly when I was doing my taxes with Turbo Tax. Every time I want to browse just about anything, reload over and over.

Also get a lot of ads on some pages and seems I can't click and move on until those ads load. Maybe clicking before it finishes loading that junk sometimes triggers the reload message? I don't know; no rhyme or reason to it.

I've deleted history, cookies, temp files, etc and no improvement. That's about all I know to do.

Just wish I could clean up my PC so it would work more efficiently, but don't know how to do that. Seems once the "updates" start rolling in, it's just a matter of time before performance goes to hell.

Any suggestions? I'm using Internet Explorer 11 and never had hate for IE like many do, however if that's where the problem lies then I'm ready to chuck it, but what would you recommend instead?

Open to any suggestions. Thank you

Update..P.S. if you have a suggestion that I check... whatever, can you also tell me where to look or how to do it, because I know nothing about how to troubleshoot a PC. :confused
Thanks again.
Last edited by island on Fri Apr 24, 2015 2:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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PaddyMac
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by PaddyMac »

I would check for coupon ware or adware if the popup ads are excessive (there was another thread recently on adware).

Then install AdBlock+ extension to block ads.
t3xn
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by t3xn »

Try Malwarebytes and check for ad-ware/malware.

https://www.malwarebytes.org/mwb-download/

Scan your system and see if it finds anything. Do you have anti-virus software?
Topic Author
island
Posts: 1971
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2013 1:45 pm

Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by island »

PaddyMac wrote:I would check for coupon ware or adware if the popup ads are excessive (there was another thread recently on adware).

Then install AdBlock+ extension to block ads.
Thank you for your quick response. Can you tell me how to check for that? I really know nothing about troubleshooting PC.
Hmmmm, I better update my OP to inform others of my cluelessness! Thanks.
daveatca
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A few things

Post by daveatca »

1. Upgrade to Windows 8.1 (the .1 is important) for a better experience.
And, then read this http://www.wikihow.com/Go-Straight-to-D ... -Starts-Up
2. Install Firefox and then the Add-On "AdBlock Plus". Start blocking stuff you don't want to see.

Going a little further, you could upgrade to Windows 10 (there is no 9) which is in beta. It is much better than 8.
Professor Emeritus
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Re: A few things

Post by Professor Emeritus »

daveatca wrote:1. Upgrade to Windows 8.1 (the .1 is important) for a better experience.
And, then read this http://www.wikihow.com/Go-Straight-to-D ... -Starts-Up
2. Install Firefox and then the Add-On "AdBlock Plus". Start blocking stuff you don't want to see.

Going a little further, you could upgrade to Windows 10 (there is no 9) which is in beta. It is much better than 8.
IMHO windows 8.1 is the most awful piece of microsoft garbage since VISTA

I use classic shell on 8.1 to get a decent reliable interface. http://www.classicshell.net/
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Kenkat
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by Kenkat »

Google Chrome browser plus Ad-Block Plus beats IE11 in my opinion.

MalwareBytes is also a good idea.
SleepKing
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by SleepKing »

t3xn wrote:Just wish I could clean up my PC so it would work more efficiently, but don't know how to do that. Seems once the "updates" start rolling in, it's just a matter of time before performance goes to hell.
Been there and done that. If all you want is to browse the internet and do simple MS office tasks, etc., perhaps consider switching to Mac. I made the switch and do not regret it, though took some time to adapt. My wife still uses PC laptop for work, but find her using the iPad and my Mac more and more.

Sleepy
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Steelersfan
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by Steelersfan »

I recommend MalwareBytes too, and I run CCleaner from time to time. CCleaner doesn't seem to help much since I got a faster PC but it did when I had an older, slower model with less disk. It cleans up a lot of junk files that eventually build up on your PC disk.

http://download.cnet.com/CCleaner/

You can also try Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool, but in all the years I've run it, it has never detected anything.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-se ... moval.aspx
scottyja
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by scottyja »

+1 for Chrome, Adblock+ and Malwarebytes. But it's not just malware and viruses that cause slowdowns. I'm a fan of CCleaner- it's free and does a good job clearing a lot of the temp files that can also bog your system down. It also has a tool that helps you clean up what runs when Windows starts. Most programs you install will tell windows to start its service whenever the machine boots. You then have tons of services running in the background for programs you're not even using. This will slow a machine down also.

In addition to cleaning up the machine, there are programs that will replace the tiles in the start menu with something more familiar, such as Classic Shell.
jebmke
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Re: A few things

Post by jebmke »

Professor Emeritus wrote: IMHO windows 8.1 is the most awful piece of microsoft garbage since VISTA

I use classic shell on 8.1 to get a decent reliable interface. http://www.classicshell.net/
I have 15 of 50 laptops running 8.1 with Classic Shell. Users prefer them to the Windows 7 machines. They boot and shut down much faster (on same hardware) and the differences in the user experience is minor. I can't recall the exact numbers but we benchmarked identical machines on W7 and W8.1 and the boot time was probably 4-5x on W7. These were identical images except for the OS.
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TheGreyingDuke
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by TheGreyingDuke »

SleepKing wrote:Been there and done that. If all you want is to browse the internet and do simple MS office tasks, etc., perhaps consider switching to Mac. I made the switch and do not regret it, though took some time to adapt. My wife still uses PC laptop for work, but find her using the iPad and my Mac more and more.

Sleepy
It took 8 replies before the expected "switch to a Mac" came up, the Mac fan club is slipping :happy

Not very Bogleheadish to suggest that the OP dump his computer and spend hundreds of $$ to solve what is something that with an hour or two of time, or $50 to his local high school student whiz, will have him up and running/
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." H.G. Wells
jebmke
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by jebmke »

If I can't get something figured out in about an hour I just reinstall the OS and move along. It isn't a bad idea to reinstall once every year or so anyway. Cleans out a lot of problems.
Stay hydrated; don't sweat the small stuff
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midareff
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by midareff »

There are a few steps that will help immensely. First, install a little $5 program called Start8 by Stardock. It puts the start menu with all the things we loved about it back and boots you directly to the desktop. Next, I would download and install both AVG Free anti-virus (it's free) and Malwarebytes Free. After running the free version of Malwarebytes for about 2 months I upgraded to the premium version which comes with 3 licenses so it is on every computer in the house. It fixed 113 issues on my wife's older Win 7 box and the AVG found three viruses which it eliminated as well. Third I would download the latest version of FireFox and add the Adblock Plus blocker cited by a previous poster and both FasterFox and Ghostery.

At that point the functionality you are missing will be restored and you should be running much faster without any of the IE's nonsense about explorer stopped working.
cheapedy
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by cheapedy »

My recommendation is to back up all your information, then re-install windows. If you don't know how, ask someone you know or pay a professional. Then go to http://www.linuxmint.com and download that operating system and burn it to a disk. That will create something called a "Live CD" which when inserted into your PC loads an operating system from the cd, rather than the hard drive. That way you have a pure Operating system and browser to use if you ever suspect viruses.

Or you could do what I did. I re-installed Windows on only half my hard drive and Linuxmint on the other half. When I turn on my computer it asks me which I want to use. I find that I use Linux way more for general tasks than Windows. Linux absolutely flies on my machine. Lightning fast compared to Win 7. I personally use a simple version called LUBUNTU, mainly for the speed, but Linuxmint is the number one around the world due to it being the most user friendly. It looks like Windows XP. It is ready out of the box with everything you need : browser, flash, A.V.,office suite, image editors.

So I suggest you try the Live CD. That way you can see how fast your PC really is. Then, if your not computer saavy, pay an expert to re-install both windows and linuxmint. This is called a Dual Boot. That's a whole lot cheaper than your other options.
Lynette
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by Lynette »

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Last edited by Lynette on Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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roymeo
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by roymeo »

It sounds like you have some sort of malware which is affecting your machine. I'm a savvy programmer-type and I somehow ended up with one of those several years ago. It's not a lot of fun to remove.

Start with malwarebytes and see what it finds and see if it can clean up the problem.

roymeo
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mhalley
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by mhalley »

Here is a detailed, extensive step by step guide foar a severe "spring cleaning" of a pc.
http://malwaretips.com/blogs/malware-re ... r-windows/
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archbish99
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by archbish99 »

cheapedy wrote:My recommendation is to back up all your information, then re-install windows. If you don't know how, ask someone you know or pay a professional.
Note that this is built into the OS now.... Go to PC Settings, Update & Recovery, Recovery and select "Refresh my PC." Your files, most settings, and apps from the Store survive the process. Programs you installed from disk or the Internet won't -- including whatever junkware is causing your unresponsive web pages. While I'd try to identify and remove whatever it is first, Win8+ makes the reinstall far more convenient when it's needed.

And if you're waiting for the return of the Start Menu, that'll be in the Windows 10 update, which is free.
I'm not a financial advisor, I just play one on the Internet.
carolinaman
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by carolinaman »

t3xn wrote:Try Malwarebytes and check for ad-ware/malware.

https://www.malwarebytes.org/mwb-download/

Scan your system and see if it finds anything. Do you have anti-virus software?
+1 for Malwarebytes. It is a good product and I have had security consultants recommend it to me.
mptfan
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by mptfan »

Get a Chromebook. You will soon realize that you don't need or want to use Windows anymore.
shepherd
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by shepherd »

Agree that moving to chromebooks was the best decision ever. I've got two chromebooks and a chromebox. Everything is fast and synced across all devices. No pop ups or viruses. Chrome Remote Desktop is great for logging into other PCs.
jebmke
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by jebmke »

How well do Chromebooks work with older peripherals? I manage a "fleet" of laptops and printers for TaxAide. Many of our printers are older but still quite functional and not about to be replaced. Our tax software is now completely online and this year they finally configured it to work with the Chrome browser (until this year, IE was the only browser supported).
Stay hydrated; don't sweat the small stuff
testing321
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by testing321 »

If I google "Internet Explorer 11 slow" the first two links are for a microsoft site that address this.
wander
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by wander »

Is the Geeksquad any good? Normally, I help my relatives with these stuffs since it's simple for people who play with PC. In your case, you may want to take your PC to folks at Best Buy to check it for a fee. After that, don't use the administrator account for daily use, but create an account that does not allow you or anyone can install software or use a guest account. Whenever you need to install software, you then must have to enter your admin password. That way, you will keep yourself out of future trouble to not accidentally install unwanted programs.
Or use Chrome browser of Firefox.
terpfan122
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by terpfan122 »

1) First thing I would do is download another browser, such as firefox or chrome, and see if it still happens. Based on what you describe you either have installed a toolbar of some kind in your browser OR you have malware/adware of some kind on your PC. If the new browser works fine I would use the new one. Check out the website in #4 below.

2) If you still have challenges the next thing I would do is call the tech geek in your family (if you have one). Pay that person $100 or buy them dinner/beer/whatever to clean up your PC. I would not go to geek squad if I were you. If no other options find the closet PC repair small business.

3) Despite what others have said, and I respect everyone's opinion - never switch operating systems or try dual booting or chromebook etc if you are not inclined to spend time on a computer learning new things.
Great reference article on this: http://www.zdnet.com/article/tips-from- ... -problems/

4) If you do have someone to help you or want to spend the DYI time to learn and have your PC run well try this next link. This guy has been writing How-to guides for Windows for years and they are easy to understand and read.
https://tweakhound.com/

5) As others have said Malwarebytes Anti-malware is excellent. However, most of these type programs are better at preventing viruses and malware then removing them. A full re-install may be necessary. After this or after your PC is running well again here is what I do to all the family PCs I manage (there are currently 9; for family members ranging in ages of 31-74).
From a PC with fresh install or running well:
Download and install the following:
Free anti-virus (current leader is) Avira but there are many - just don't use Microsoft Security Essentials anymore
Malwarebytes Antimalware
Autoruns - go to logon tab - make sure your only running your anti-virus at windows start-up
ccleaner
download 2 browsers (such as firefox, chrome, IE) etc. doesn't matter which ones. Go to settings, make sure each are set-up to delete browsing history on exit, pop-up blocker is installed, don't remember passwords and history is set, etc.
use one browser for basic browsing such as reading news etc
use other browser for logging in to bank accounts, email, etc.

6) do the following:
On a daily basis run malwarebytes and ccleaner
On a weekly basis check autoruns and make sure only anti-virus is selected at start-up
(all programs are designed to turn themselves on each boot-up which creates vulnerabilities and makes PC run slow)


Just my 2 cents :sharebeer
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Cosmo
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by Cosmo »

kenschmidt wrote:Google Chrome browser plus Ad-Block Plus beats IE11 in my opinion.

MalwareBytes is also a good idea.
This. I work for a mega company, with a locked down enterprise network. IE11 is still the present web browser that we use. However, recently, my company started to support the Chrome web browser, which says a lot because my company has been very strict on using non-native web browsing apps.

Cosmo
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nedsaid
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by nedsaid »

It is sad to say but Internet Explorer is a crummy browser and now even Microsoft is giving up on it and will replace it with a new offering. I have been using IE since it first came out but I also used Netscape and then Firefox. I still use IE as my primary browser but find myself using Google Chrome quite a bit too.

Also Malwarebytes will clean up most malware, it really is a great product. My computer geek guys recommend it. They also like Microsoft Security Essentials. Scan your computer with both and see if that doesn't fix your problem. You might actually have to take your machine into a computer professional who can clean viruses for you. I have been able to take care of this myself except one time I had to have someone clean it.

I have Windows 7 on my machine at home and have found it to be pretty secure. I keep my operating system up to date. You have Windows 8 and that should also be secure. I upgraded to 7 rather than 8 because of many of the concerns people have expressed. I have heard good things about 8.1 and I think that Windows 10 will be fantastic.

Best wishes,

Ned
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just frank
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Re: My PC is driving me nuts.

Post by just frank »

You can also suspect the internet interface. Are you hard wired to the broadband modem, or using a wifi card? Sometimes incompatibilities crop up between new wifi routers and older wifi hardware that manifest as just real slow unreliable browsing.
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