Blame the Add-Ons

Q: I too have a slow browser. I am using IE7 with, to my knowledge, all updates. And with all updates to Windows XP also. Do you have any tips to get my browser to open as it used to last year or so, before all the help I have received from Microsoft? Since then the help has made opening my browser slower and slower after each update. - George R.

A: The problem may not be IE7 itself. As you surf around the web you may occasionally hit a site that offers this-or-that "helpful" add-on. As these add-ons accumulate they can slow down IE. They're also often to blame when you get a message saying that IE has crashed.

Try this. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop and choose "Start without Add-Ons". If you don't have an IE7 icon on the desktop, or if its right-click menu doesn't include that option there's another way. From the start menu select All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Internet Explorer (No Add-Ons).

Does this eliminate the slowdown? If so, you may need to uninstall or disable some add-ons. Close the browser and re-open it in the normal way (with add-ons). Click the Tools button, choose Manage Add-ons and choose Enable or Disable Add-Ons. Disable them all and restart the browser, just to verify that it's still fast. Now re-enable them one by one to see which one or ones is causing the slowdown. - Neil J. Rubenking.