WyzGuys Tech Talk

Often I get calls like this:  “My computer is slow,” or “The Internet is slow.”  Is it really your computer that is slow?  This would show up when you are using installed applications like Word or Excel.  Or is your Internet experience slow?  You have run an Internet speed test, and your speed and bandwidth are fine, but still everything on the web is a slow as molasses.

Often this can be a sign that your web browser has been hijacked by malware, adware, spyware, or tracking software of some sort.  There is an easy fix –  just reset your browser and clear out any unwanted or unnecessary browser extensions or plug-ins.  Most people have more than one web browser, so you should reset all of them.  Here are some links to instructions on how to take care of this yourself.

• Google Chrome:  https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3296214?hl=en
• Microsoft Internet Explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17441/windows-internet-explorer-change-reset-settings
• Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4023560/windows-10-what-to-do-if-microsoft-edge-not-working
• Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/reset-preferences-fix-problems
• Apple Safari:  http://pch.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/573/~/how-do-i-factory-reset-my-browser
• Removing browser extensions and plug-ins – Browser extensions and plug-ins are little applications that make stuff work in a browser windows, like Google docs for instance.  The adware and tracking industry have loads of these that are not helpful and cause your browser performance to drop over time.  Here is an article on how to remove these beasties.  If you don’t recognize the company name associated with an extension, its probably best to remove it.  Some of the worst extensions masquerade as “safe browsing” apps.  Remove them too. https://www.howtogeek.com/240090/how-to-uninstall-extensions-in-chrome-firefox-and-other-browsers/

Try these solutions.  Your computer may resume functioning at the speed you remember.

If this doesn’t help, then maybe you have an application or service that is consuming a ridiculous percentage of processor cycles, RAM, or hard disk activity.  You can check that out using Task Manager.

Task Manager is an already built-in utility that can show you what is running active or in the background, and also what is loading at start-up.  https://www.windowscentral.com/how-identify-and-terminate-high-resource-processes-using-task-manager-windows-10

Anti-malware software.  If you are using any form of McAfee, Kaspersky, or Norton/Symantec security software, uninstall those too.  These anti-malware products are known to slow down both computer and web browsing performance.  In my experience they are, in order:  Crap, made in Russia, and Crap.  Windows Defender is free and works better than the products named above.