Is Internet Explorer Causing Your PC to Lag and Crash?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around performance issues experienced by a user while using Internet Explorer, specifically delays in scrolling and typing, as well as crashes related to Matlab. Participants explore potential causes and solutions, including system specifications, software conflicts, and maintenance practices.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One user reports significant delays when scrolling and typing in Internet Explorer, along with crashes related to Matlab.
  • Another participant suggests checking the task manager for CPU usage to identify resource-intensive processes.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential impact of a cluttered registry on system performance, with a recommendation to reinstall Windows as a possible solution.
  • Some participants mention the possibility of upgrading from Windows 98 to Windows XP for better performance.
  • There is a suggestion to consider alternative browsers like Opera due to issues with Internet Explorer 5.5.
  • One participant notes that the user's machine specifications (PIII 700MHz, 256MB RAM) may be adequate for Windows XP but questions the current OS's performance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the causes of the performance issues, with no clear consensus on the best solution. Some suggest hardware upgrades or OS reinstallation, while others focus on software-related fixes.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various potential issues, including registry clutter and software conflicts, but do not reach a definitive conclusion on the root cause of the user's problems.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for users experiencing similar performance issues with Internet Explorer or those seeking advice on troubleshooting computer lag and crashes.

enigma
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This time with internet explorer

I swear, I need to drop the cash for a new PC and start fresh.

This started yesterday. Every time I use the wheel to scroll a webpage, it has a half second delay and it 'jumps' from place to place. Also, when I'm typing now, there is ~1/4 to 1/2 second delay between keystroke and placement of the character on the screen.

It remains after I shut down the system and re-boot.

Any ideas?

Oh... Probably not going to get any help on this one, but for about 2 weeks, I get pure virtual function call errors when I try to print out on my student version of Matlab (and only Matlab) which dumps me from the system, stops the print job halfway through, and requires a system re-boot before I can do anything without crashing the computer.

*grumble*
 
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just another worthless suggestion...

When things get sluggish I sometimes open the task manager and have a peek under the processes tab for anything using a lot of the CPU cycles. You might get lucky here and find the offender.
The scroll wheel I use has incremental adjustments that can be made, but in my experience it can also be caused by other problems too.
As to Matlab, I couldn’t say much except I do know someone who complained that after installing mathematica the computer began to crash randomly.

What kind of machine do you have (CPU speed, amount of RAM, etc.) ?
 
Also, run ad-aware and make sure you don't have resource-intensive programs secretly installed on your computer, running while you're online.
 
What kind of machine do you have (CPU speed, amount of RAM, etc.) ?

I have to second the request for this info, also what kind of OS?

Are you also experiancing lag with your mouse, such as the pointer not keeping up with where you move it?

Anyhow, a lot of times what happens is your computer simply gets wore out. More specifically, your registry. See, B. Gates and the other top dogs are counting on a person going and buying a new pc everytime they have trouble.

What happens though, is your registry becomes cluttered up, and your computer craps out on ya. Especially if you've installed a lot of various programs, and removed them improperly (deleting through win explorer instead of removing through control panel.)

Your registry is kinda like your short term memory. When it gets cluttered up, you start having weird problems. Probably a simple fix for your problems is back up everything you care about, and reinstall windows.

A good idea also, is that you should create a separate partition to install windows on, and keep all your important work on a separate partition. This way, if something corrupts your installed OS, or it just craps out like it sounds yours has done, it is a simple process of deleting the old info, popping the cd in, and reinstalling.

But if you could provide answers for the above questions, we could probably give you some more info.
 
Originally posted by megashawn
I have to second the request for this info, also what kind of OS?


Win 98

PIII 700MHz, 256MB Ram

Are you also experiancing lag with your mouse, such as the pointer not keeping up with where you move it?

No. Only when I'm scrolling through (or typing) IE pages.
 
That's fast enough for winXP, if you owned a copy. It might give you less trouble than win98.

You might try reinstalling IE;
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=318378

Eventually, things get working back enough on my systems that I just do a fresh install of the OS. This usually cures the problem when I don't know what else to do.
 
if you have IE 5.5 you should consider upgrading. It's the worst IE ever... I had the keyboard delay problem too.
The best way is to get Opera and just forget about IExploder...