Is it me, my PC or this site?
Dec 28th, 2008, 04:51 PM
#21
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OK, let me clarify a bit.
People use their computers in different ways. Some people turn the computer on from "OFF" every day and completely shut it down every day. As a laptop user, I put my computer to "sleep" on and off all day and never really shut it down/reboot it unless I have to. And I keep my Firefox windows open (one always has Gmail) open for days if not weeks at a time.
So I find that eventually, my Firefox becomes "bloated" (often gets very slow) and when I check the memory use, it is using a ton. So all I do is close all Firefox windows (or you can just "Exit" in one and it will close them all) and restart Firefox, without restarting my computer. And that always does the trick.
If you are one of those people who shuts down their computer every day, you'll always be completely re-starting Firefox the next time you start up the computer, so you'll probably never have to worry about this issue.
People use their computers in different ways. Some people turn the computer on from "OFF" every day and completely shut it down every day. As a laptop user, I put my computer to "sleep" on and off all day and never really shut it down/reboot it unless I have to. And I keep my Firefox windows open (one always has Gmail) open for days if not weeks at a time.
So I find that eventually, my Firefox becomes "bloated" (often gets very slow) and when I check the memory use, it is using a ton. So all I do is close all Firefox windows (or you can just "Exit" in one and it will close them all) and restart Firefox, without restarting my computer. And that always does the trick.
If you are one of those people who shuts down their computer every day, you'll always be completely re-starting Firefox the next time you start up the computer, so you'll probably never have to worry about this issue.
Dec 28th, 2008, 05:31 PM
#22
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Oh, okay....much less of a big deal to me then. I shut it down probably at least once a week. Once you shut it down and reboot, you're good again? No biggie; I'll switch and try out Firefox.
I noticed something interesting last night.....while watching the Onion videos, I was always very frustated because the video would glich and hiccup, no matter which computer or laptop I used. Last night, I used my Sprint smartview device for the connection, and no more gliches. It performed beautifully. Somehow my home modem and wireless devices are insufficient when watching those videos and the Sprint smartview was another avenue. I am soooo relieved to find an alternative.
I noticed something interesting last night.....while watching the Onion videos, I was always very frustated because the video would glich and hiccup, no matter which computer or laptop I used. Last night, I used my Sprint smartview device for the connection, and no more gliches. It performed beautifully. Somehow my home modem and wireless devices are insufficient when watching those videos and the Sprint smartview was another avenue. I am soooo relieved to find an alternative.
Dec 28th, 2008, 05:37 PM
#23
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What kind of conventional home connection do you have now? DSL? Cable? Test your connection speed here:
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/
Are you saying you are tethering your computer to the internet via your Sprint phone (Via EV-DO broadband wireless?) when you switched connections? It is possible your have a very slow DSL or cable plan or that your home network is not setup right, or your hardware has some issues.
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/
Are you saying you are tethering your computer to the internet via your Sprint phone (Via EV-DO broadband wireless?) when you switched connections? It is possible your have a very slow DSL or cable plan or that your home network is not setup right, or your hardware has some issues.
Dec 28th, 2008, 08:06 PM
#24
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I haven't had major problems with fodors while using IE but I have had trouble with my e-mail. I use Gmail and almost everytime I start typing an e-mail the computer freezes and I have to shut it down. Doesn't freeze on anything else and doesn't freeze on my home computer where I use Firefox. Will have to try firefox on this one too. Any other ideas?
Dec 28th, 2008, 10:05 PM
#25
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Aaaargh, right now, it is particularly acting up and is slower than dial-up! I think all of the above could be happening, Andrew, lol.... And, I'm so computer illiterate, it is hard to describe the setup except in very rudimentary terms. Believe it or not, I know a lot more than I used to!
My PC is a wired connection to my modem and wireless router. My laptop uses the wireless through the router. On both these modalities, videos on the Onion play poorly with seizing, etc. When I plug in my Sprint "card" into my USB port and bypass my home wireless connection, the videos play beautifully. I do not have the top of the line DSL connection. It is only $29.95 and the $41.95 is faster. Generally, it is a small difference but nights like this when it acts up, it is considerable.
Hope I am explaining it adequately. There are times when the speed is very fast and other times when it is incredibly slow like tonight. I do have a secured connection so no one is stealing my band width (terminology I learned here,
).
My PC is a wired connection to my modem and wireless router. My laptop uses the wireless through the router. On both these modalities, videos on the Onion play poorly with seizing, etc. When I plug in my Sprint "card" into my USB port and bypass my home wireless connection, the videos play beautifully. I do not have the top of the line DSL connection. It is only $29.95 and the $41.95 is faster. Generally, it is a small difference but nights like this when it acts up, it is considerable.
Hope I am explaining it adequately. There are times when the speed is very fast and other times when it is incredibly slow like tonight. I do have a secured connection so no one is stealing my band width (terminology I learned here,
).
Dec 28th, 2008, 10:52 PM
#26
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It could well be that your DSL isn't working properly. That's why I suggested you try the speed test link I posted above. (You can try it with the Sprint thing as well for comparison.)
You could power cycle your DSL modem (unplug the power, wait about 10 seconds, plug it back in; wait til it reconnects) and see if that helps your speed issues.
Also - is your wireless router secured? Could a neighbor or someone else be stealing all your bandwidth?
You could power cycle your DSL modem (unplug the power, wait about 10 seconds, plug it back in; wait til it reconnects) and see if that helps your speed issues.
Also - is your wireless router secured? Could a neighbor or someone else be stealing all your bandwidth?
Dec 28th, 2008, 11:00 PM
#27
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Cali--if you are already using gmail as your main email you might want to change to Google's Browser, which is called Chrome. If you open a Google search page, there is a place right on it to load "Chrome."
Firefox is open source, for what it's worth.
Regarding the problems with Fodor's: when I was on Explorer, I was getting the fatal errors on different times of day/day of the week. Sometimes I could outsmart it by clicking immediately on my name and going to the forums.
Firefox is open source, for what it's worth.
Regarding the problems with Fodor's: when I was on Explorer, I was getting the fatal errors on different times of day/day of the week. Sometimes I could outsmart it by clicking immediately on my name and going to the forums.
Dec 29th, 2008, 06:26 AM
#29
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Just saw this thread--I don't have much to add as the experts here have given you great advice, RandyK.
I can confirm that we are at the final stages of the Forums first major upgrade since the site's launching in 1996. We are transferring all of the threads to a new platform and losing the site's use of frames; the layout however, will still look similar.
The new upgrade should dramatically improve both the forum's search functionality and the load time of topics.
I'll keep you posted--
I can confirm that we are at the final stages of the Forums first major upgrade since the site's launching in 1996. We are transferring all of the threads to a new platform and losing the site's use of frames; the layout however, will still look similar.
The new upgrade should dramatically improve both the forum's search functionality and the load time of topics.
I'll keep you posted--
Dec 29th, 2008, 01:56 PM
#30
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Thanks Andrew. I appreciate your answers.
I 'shut down' every time I'm away from my computer for a few hours or more, and certainly at the end of every day. I don't leave any sites open. I'm not sure if this is the same as turning it "off". I don't ever turn the power off.
Oh so much to learn... and stuff that should be so simple!!!
I 'shut down' every time I'm away from my computer for a few hours or more, and certainly at the end of every day. I don't leave any sites open. I'm not sure if this is the same as turning it "off". I don't ever turn the power off.
Oh so much to learn... and stuff that should be so simple!!!
