Hi My computer operates well other than that Internet browsing is a little slower than it should be. I have broadband with typically 190KB/s speed which I have tested and verified many times. However, to launch an Internet page from a desktop icon I need to wait typically 5-15 seconds! However, if I have Internet Explorer already open and minimized, the new page opening is reduced to 1-2 seconds. To open IE itself I need about 10 seconds and therefore IE does seem to be the bottleneck. But why and what can I do about it? Thanks in advance for any ideas or suggestions Paul

Try going to start run/ type in msconfig Check your start up items and see what is running. Most can be disabled and will free up more memory... Do you use spyware removers regularily? Ad-aware etc.... Good Place to start Windows: Just another pane in the glass

try and go to this website www.techdomain.cjb.cc ...it has answers to most of the question tht people ask....chk ur system for spyware...good luck bobby.

Download,update and run Spybot Search & Destroy Also Download and run Hijack This and paste your Log on the Analyzer Page You can also press the ctrl/alt/delete keys to see what processes you have running " It'll Get Ya When You Aint Lookin "

Hi Thanks for all your replies. However, my computer is truly in relatively good shape. I have only 6 programs launching at start-up. In addition, I can guarantee that the machine is totally virus and spyware free (I operate a rigorous, if not obsessive, regime of scanning and cleaning having already learnt the hard way). In reality, the only program slow to launch is IE6 which unfortunately has significant consequences for browsing in general. Nevertheless, as I have already mentioned, I can almost entirely overcome this difficulty by leaving IE6 running, but minimized. Does anybody have any similar problem and, more importantly, how was it overcome? Thanks a lot Paul

What firewall and anti virus are you using? I used to use Panda but found periodically I would not be able to launch IE. I say not able to launch, I would get a blank white page until I shut down Panda. Just a thought.

Hi dple Thanks for your comments. I use Windows firewall and AVG-free. I also have Avast but only use it for once a week scans so it doesn't run constantly. I have quite an arsenal of downloaded anti-spyware which however, only run on an intermittent basis (precisely to avoid slowing down the computer). The only AV or anti-spy programs which do run continuosly are AVG-free, Spyware Guard and Spyware Blaster. The restricted list from IE-Spyad is also helping to keep undesirables off my machine. Actually, I have shut down/wiped all of these together and found no difference in my browse rate. Please remember that my problem is by no means catastrophic. However, having put so much effort into getting the machine running smoothly and malware-free, I find it somewhat irritating that this annoying little delay still persists in Internet activities. Further thoughts/comments are most welcome. Cheers Paul