Re: Programs do not respond for several minutes after net connection

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 18:56:22 -0000, Harry wrote:

> Thanks for the reply
> I've checked for these kind of things and it's not the problem
> I've opened tasked manager before connecting and then looked to see what
> heppens.
>
> It seems to be a problem with Windows itself
> It's not the connection that's slow, it's the fact that programs just won't
> open at all for 5-10 minutes. then suddenly they'll all open as though
> nothing was wrong.
>
> "Sharon F" <sharonfDEL@ETEmvps.org> wrote in message
> news:uxJy77voDHA.2584@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

>> On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 08:55:29 -0800, Harry wrote:
>>

>>> For the last few weeks I've had a really annoying problem
>>> with Windows XP after booting up My programs such as
>>> Outlook, IE, photoshop etc. all work fine until I connect
>>> to the internet (via my USB Broadband modem). Outlook may
>>> then download mail but then stops responding. No other
>>> programs will launch, not even the task manager. Yet, I
>>> can click on my computer and navigate around the drive. I
>>> can also use the image viewer. But any programs I try to
>>> launch such as MSN messenger, Photoshop etc do not
>>> respond, they don't even load - I get a few seconds of the
>>> eggtimer cursor and then nothing. Some five or ten minutes
>>> later the computer will suddenly decide all is fine and
>>> all those programs I clicked earlier will open suddenly.
>>>
>>> A few notes: I am up to date with Windows Update. I
>>> regularly DeFrag. I have the latest drives for my machine.
>>> I have done thorough Trojan, Spyware and Virus checks. I
>>> have excellent up to date Firewall and Virus protection.
>>> In all other respects this is a well looked after and well
>>> maintained machine. Yet I am having this strange problem.
>>>
>>> Thanks for reading this

>>
>> Check your Photoshop installation. I have an older version (6) and it has
>> an auto-update feature under Preferences> Adobe Online. I've changed
>> that to "Manually check for updates" and have unchecked the box for
>> "automatically download."
>>
>> If this does not apply, try using Task Manager and look in Applications

> and

>> in Processes in an attempt to catch the name of a program that may be
>> auto-updating in the background (a common cause for an odd slow down
>> in your online connection now and then). Open the program and change
>> the settings to something that is more convenient for you or at least to
>> settings that don't interfere with your normal browsing.
>>
>> --
>> Sharon F
>> MS MVP - Windows Shell/User

That Adobe Online Auto-Update I tracked down was pretty well buried and did
not show up in the usual places. It took a while to figure out what was going
on. I assumed that since the server for that product tends to be slow, it
caused a slowdown in my other internet activities. Once I changed the
settings, the problem was gone.

If that or something similar is not at fault, I'm not sure what the problem
is then, Harry. You've already checked for viruses and spyware. You
mention getting Outlook started on mail retrieval before some
slowdowns. You may want to experiment with email antivirus scanning.
This is an additional layer of protection on top of full time auto
scanning. Nice to have but it can be troublesome on some setups.

Script settings in antivirus programs and settings with some firewalls can
cause odd delays too.

--
Sharon F
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User