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[Bayardo]

When I boot my laptop (Dell 1750) up & run Firefox my homepage can take ages, (and I mean minutes) before my homepage is displayed.
It can then take another age after entering my password before my I can log in to the site.
Eventually things come right and I can use it normally most of the time. When I try to access one of my bookmarked sites I occasionally
get told by Firefox that it cannot find the server, and this can happen several times. I then go to another site & that comes up. Ehen I revert to the previous site that I was originally asking for it normally comes up.
I get similar problems occasionally with some of the search engines I use, (Startpage, Ixquick etc).

I had thought it might be a DNS issue as I was running on the default servers from my ISP who use their own. I changed to a different DNS after running the speed checked from DNSBench but this has made no difference.

I think it could well be a problem with the laptop as I don't seem to have the same amount of trouble on my desktop, although, from time to time, Firefox will say it can't find the relevant site.

Needless to say I'd rather not have to do a re-install of Win7 as it's too much of a pain to put everything back, so any ideas/fixes
will be gratefully received and appreciated.

Thanks
Bayardo

[asbokid]

Needless to say I'd rather not have to do a re-install of Win7 as it's too much of a pain to put everything back, so any ideas/fixes
will be gratefully received and appreciated.

A bootable Linux Live CD always comes in handy for eliminating problems caused by Windows.

It's very easy, and non-destructive..

Download the ISO image for the Linux Live CD: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download
Burn image to a blank CD.
If necessary, modify the BIOS boot order, so it tries to boot first from CD, if one is found.
boot Linux from CD..

cheers, a

p.s. you may well decide not to boot Windows ever again 

[HPsauce]

The anti-IE Firefox proponents won't admit it, but FireFox has its share of "issues".
Try using "SpeedyFox" - you'll find it easily with Google.

(It's more likely to be your browser, which in that case isn't actually made by Microsoft, than Windows 7.)

[Bayardo]

Thanks ASBO & HP

I'm doubtful about my abilities with LINUX so I'll have to give that some thought, but I'll have a go with SpeedyFox for sure.

I can't remember when this problem first started up, but I'm on Firefox 11 now, so it might have been some time around the time
that I was on FF9.

As an afterthought, the problem occurs not only after boot up, but also do it after the Laptop has been on sleep or hibernate.


Thanks folks

[asbokid]

Thanks ASBO & HP

I'm doubtful about my abilities with LINUX so I'll have to give that some thought, but I'll have a go with SpeedyFox for sure.

I can't remember when this problem first started up, but I'm on Firefox 11 now, so it might have been some time around the time
that I was on FF9.

As an afterthought, the problem occurs not only after boot up, but also do it after the Laptop has been on sleep or hibernate.

Thanks folks

Please try and give one of those Linux Live CDs a go.. They are very easy to use, and they have all the usual diagnostic tools that are missing from Windows 

It sounds as if there's an "IP addressing issue" 

since the connectivity fault is present on a cold boot of the laptop, or when emerging from hibernate, that probably pins it down a bit.

The most important connectivity tests can be done with Windows..

Internet name resolution (DNS) can be tested with the 'ping' tool from the Windows shell.  Simply ping a site by its host name:

Code: [Select]

C:\> ping www.google.com

If www.google.com is resolved to a dot-quad notation IP address.. (e.g. 173.194.66.147), then internet name resolution is working okay, as illustrated below.   

We can see that www.google.com resolved to 173.194.66.147... so DNS works okay on this machine..

Code: [Select]

C:\> ping www.google.com
PING www.l.google.com (173.194.66.147) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from we-in-f147.1e100.net (173.194.66.147): icmp_req=1 ttl=46 time=44.7 ms
64 bytes from we-in-f147.1e100.net (173.194.66.147): icmp_req=2 ttl=46 time=54.4 ms
64 bytes from we-in-f147.1e100.net (173.194.66.147): icmp_req=3 ttl=46 time=52.9 ms
^C

If the above test fails, then try pinging a remote computer by its IP address, rather than by its host name. That bypasses the DNS system..

Code: [Select]

$ ping 173.194.66.147
PING 173.194.66.147 (173.194.66.147) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 173.194.66.147: icmp_req=1 ttl=46 time=45.6 ms
64 bytes from 173.194.66.147: icmp_req=2 ttl=46 time=44.7 ms
^C

And if that fails, then it's probably a routing problem.. 

When you turn on the laptop, it presumably gets its local IP address from the internet router (using the DHCP protocol).    It could be a problem in that operation.   

The 'ipconfig' tool will show whether IP address allocation (DHCP) is working properly.


cheers, a

[HPsauce]

I'm doubtful about my abilities with LINUX

Best to ignore it. The Linux Fanbois love to slag off Windows and their first (and only) suggestion is to "jump ship", but W7 really is quite good.
The system you have "should" have 4GB of RAM and "should" be very quick.
If it's slow it could be Malware of some sort or possibly a corrupted/damaged antivirus program (what do you use?) but a "damaged" browser is most consistent with what you've described.
DNS problems wouldn't give those symptoms, and if they did it would be the same with any OS anyway.
And of course there are loads of other (rarer) causes........

[Bayardo]

Thanks HP.
I've twice run checks with MSE, Malwarebytes & Spybot & they all come back clean.

I do have 4gb and it is normally quite fast but does have these "startup" problems too often.

I've installed SpeedyFox & am using it now. Will see if it helps.

Thanks

[Bayardo]

Thanks HP.
I've twice run checks with MSE, Malwarebytes & Spybot & they all come back clean.

I do have 4gb and it is normally quite fast but does have these "startup" problems too often.

I've installed SpeedyFox & am using it now. Will see if it helps.

Thanks

FF certainly runs faster now but I've had it in sleep mode twice & I still have the page display lag when I open up again.
My home page is www.moneyam.com with a a java logo surrounded by a rotating pattern. After the initial lag the java logo screen is
displayed and the pattern can rotate for a long time as well before I can get in to the site proper.
Once there everything is (normally) fine.

I think I'll have to take a look at the IP matters and also the ping angle.

Thanks HP

Just had an after thought.
I could be that Thunderbird is also be affected, as when FF is playing up,will not check for & download any messages
waiting.

[asbokid]

Just had an after thought.   It could be that Thunderbird is also be affected, as when FF is playing up,will not check for & download any messages waiting.

The smoking gun!  Two different internet clients exhibit same problem.. Ergo, issue is indeed with Windows (aka billygatesware).

Best to ignore the Microsoft merchants - their first (and only) suggestion is to upgrade (at great cost) to a newer version of Windozzzzze!      Ker-ching!   

cheers, a

[camallison]

Without the distraction of needing to learn a new OS - can you do the following series of things please, and after each in turn, just see if your problem is solved:

1.  Change your home page on FF to something new, like google.co.uk - it could be the current home page that is giving you heartache

2.  Check that your AV program is fully up to date and not stuck in a loop trying to update but not finding the site, or the site is too busy

3.  Ensure that you have applied successfully any Windows updates and the OS isn't going in circles trying again and again to update

4.  Ensure that you have applied all updates for java

5.  Last of all, have you recently installed any program that checks that your software is up-to-date - these can sometimes take an awful long time to do their work, before releasing the PC to you.

If nothing I have suggested solves the problem, do come back and we can suggest other solutions.

Colin (been there before)

[HPsauce]

Without the distraction of needing to learn a new OS - can you do the following series of things please, and after each in turn, just see if your problem is solved:

1.  Change your home page on FF to something new, like google.co.uk - it could be the current home page that is giving you heartache

I'd also add, try a different browser instead of FF and see if it gives the same symptoms. Chrome, IE9, whatever you want or already have installed.

Out of interest that web site loads quite quickly on my W7x64 system in IE9.

[HPsauce]

The smoking gun!  Two different internet clients exhibit same problem.. Ergo, issue is indeed with

Q. With what?

A. MOZILLA (who produce both clients: Firefox and Thunderbird)

Not Microsoft who produce neither?

Logic beats prejudice.  8) And prejudice will destroy the logic that will solve the problem. 

[camallison]

Without the distraction of needing to learn a new OS - can you do the following series of things please, and after each in turn, just see if your problem is solved:

1.  Change your home page on FF to something new, like google.co.uk - it could be the current home page that is giving you heartache

I'd also add, try a different browser instead of FF and see if it gives the same symptoms. Chrome, IE9, whatever you want or already have installed.

Out of interest that web site loads quite quickly on my W7x64 system in IE9.

I have Ghostery on my machine and therefore any timing I did here wouldn't be representative.  Thanks though for the confirmation on the site speed to load.  Bayardo may just have something that slows down the load though.

Colin

[HPsauce]

I've twice run checks with MSE, Malwarebytes & Spybot & they all come back clean.

That doesn't necessarily prove anything as much malware can hide from such programs, especially if already installed as they detect and hijack the protection!

The risk of that can be slightly reduced by booting into "Safe Mode with Networking" and then downloading and reinstalling Malwarebytes for example.
I'd also run Trend Micro Housecall as another "downloaded not-installed" malware check; can't recall offhand if it runs in safe mode though.

[HPsauce]

When I boot my laptop (Dell 1750) up & run Firefox my homepage can take ages, (and I mean minutes) before my homepage is displayed.

Have a look at this problem that has been documented; it actually says there is a subtle error in the web site structure in this example:
http://www.wwco.com/~wls/blog/2008/03/28/firefox-slow-page-load-solved/
Now I'm absolutely NOT saying this is your problem (though it could be), but it's an example of what can go wrong.

And if you're bored, and are capable of doing it, it's a tweak you might want to test.