Web pages stop loading

Hi,
I have been having this problem for a while with my wireless laptop now and just can't sort it. After a while web pages just will not load. A reboot sorts it but then it will recur. I have tried both FireFox and Internet explorer and no joy.
I have had a new router and tried all the channels, I have unplugged the phone in case it was interference and this week I bought a new laptop. I nearly cried with frustration when it did the same. The old laptop is on XP the new one on Vista.
Because I had the same apps on both I started to think software conflict.
I have started with the obvious, the security apps as the are on all the time. I disabled the firewall, the malware app and the anti virus and at first that seemed to have sorted it but then it recurred. It did seem to take longer but it happened.
My question is two fold, firstly can an unopened app cause problems and secondly has anyone got any ideas as to where I might find a solution ?
Any help would be appreciated as this is driving me nuts.

 

Hi there Alex have you been in touch with your ISP first to see if there's an issue in your area !
P.S what apps are we on about ! Also have you checked your FW and your AV to see if they are configured to allow everything you have running i:e your router or modem settings !

 

Hi Rusty,
It wouldn't seem to be an ISP issue as my son visited with his laptop and never had ant problems. Also the problem always temporarily resolves on a reboot. I even bought the same make of laptop as my son, not the same model as I couldn't find one. As I have tried to rule out external things as much as possible I am more and more convinced its a software problem (but not certain] but I just can't pin it down.
Thanks for your suggestion but I don't think that's the issue.
Regards Alex

 

What AV do you have and can you boot in safe mode, well of course you can because its only a browser issue you have not a comp issue !

 

Hi,
I use Avast Free, IOBit Security 360(Malware) and ZoneAlarm Firewall.
I disabled all three and still got the problem. As you say booting up is no problem although on the new PC (Compaq Pressario) I often have to force shutdown by holding down the On/Off Button.
Regards Alex

 

What ! no mbam or ccleaner ! No but have you tried booting in safe mode and running scans with what you have, and also are they all updated !

 

Hi,
Sorry, of course I have MalwareBytes and CCleaner ! Can you run a PC without them ?
Seriously , I didn't mention them as they are on demand so were not running when I have the problem. I also have Avira with the shield disabled so I can run on demand scans.
This is partly why I was asking if a dormant app can cause conflicts.
As regards the suggestion of a safe mode scan I will try it but I am almost certain that an infection is not the issue as the problem occurred on the new machine straight after set up and before I had spent more than a few minutes surfing. Also my old machine has recently had a reinstall using manufacturers disks and has come up clean on subsequent scans. And yes all my apps are up to date.
But anything is worth a try.
Regards Alex

 

I would suggest you run the scans in safe mode because in safe mode comp runs with limited availability to some apps and that may determine which is causing the problem !

 

Hi,
Got that but will it indicate to me what is going on ? Will there be any sort of message or pointer ?
Regards Alex

 

Well if everthing is working properly and updated and running as it should be, it should rule out any viruses i:e malware or spyware that may be preventing or causing this to happen ! But in saying that, have you transfered anything from one to another ?

 

Hi,
No nothing has been transferred, the only common is my music files but they are stored on an external and played from there .via either PC
Regards Alex.

 

Also an unopened app wouldn't cause any problems, unless you have opened it at some stage in the past and it has become infected, and it had a virus i:e malware or spyware or even trojan that may be lying in there dormant waiting for you to open it up, then it starts creating issues nice and slowly like they usually do !

 

Try doing what i said first ! All in safe mode !

 

Hi,
I am on to the scans now.
Speak later.
Cheers Alex

 

Hi,
Back again with safe mode scans done. All I got were a few tracking cookies from the antimalware guys and nothing from the antivirus bods.
Regards Alex

 

If they found nothing and you still having problems then i suggest you move on and start with a malware removal guide by clicking on this link, READ & RUN ME FIRST. Malware Removal Guide going through everything very carefully and follow thew instructions to the book and then next time you post, post in the malware removal forum, and be patient and the malware fighters will get to you, as i now think this is as far as i can take you, and you need further cleaning and thats what i think you are better of doing !
Sorry i couldn't be of any further assistance and hope you get sorted !

 

Hi,
Thanks for your time Rusty. I will try as you say but I just can't see it being a Malware issue.
Actually as I type I have formulated a different plan. When I installed my new PC I saved all the executables in a folder and it is very easy to rescan all those. The first thing I did was burn the recovery DVD's before I visited any web site so I am going to reinstall and introduce the programmes one by one and see if and when the problem occurs. If it is a malware problem that will be cured by the reinstall and if it is a software problem I should identify it.
Does that sound reasonable to you or do you see a flaw ?
Regards Alex

 

Are they already installed, if so just scan them all individually anyway, just right click and scan with ! Seems pretty feesable to me !

 

Are you wireless or hard wired to the router?

In either case, you need to check the settings for your ethernet and wifi just to be sure neither is set to "turn off" after a certain period of time.

You open Device Manager, and hardware then expand Network adapters, rick click the NIC and select properties. Look at the Power Management to and be sure "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.".

 

Hi Rusty and Plodre,
Just an update on problem solved. I had kept all my executables on an external so I reinstalled the new PC and put on an antivirus and checked it. It was OK so then I added an anti malware and same result. As my router has a firewall I left off a software firewall (I previously used Zone Alarm) and shut down Windows firewall. I decided to go with that level of security but made a disk image just in case of infection.If I do get an infection I will simply put a recent image on rather than bother trying a complex clean up. I have done these clean ups in the past and they take hours and even then you are not 100% sure that the system is clean or what problems having essential files in quarantine will cause. A disk image takes 1/2 hour to restore and you know the infection has gone and all files are where they should be.
Anyway thank you all so very much. It is great to be able to pick the brains of people so much more computer savvy than myself. Keep up the good work. Doubtless I will be back when the Gremlins wake up again.
Merci mille fois, Alex

 

Hi, I am having the exact same problem with my laptop. I have been trying to solve this and nothing has worked. It gets really frustrating having to restart my laptop every time web pages stop loading (in Firefox, Chrome, and IE). This only happens on my laptop, and the rest of my desktops are fine.

Alex, I have read your post and was just hoping you could clarify how you fixed the problem. I am using an HP laptop (running Vista) and have BitDefender Total Security. I'm using wireless internet as well.

Thank You.

 

Hi Cm-Punk,

Yes it is very frustrating isn't it? As I said in my post I bought a new laptop and still had the problem and as my son had run his laptop on my network without problems I figured it must be a software conflict as I had set up my new PC the same as my old PC.
What I did was remove all my security software and then introduced first Avast anti virus (Free edition) and gave the PC a good test. It was ok so I then added IOBit security 360 {Free antimalware) and tested. Again it was fine so I left it at that and didn't add any more security. I am behind a router so another firewall isn't necessary.
Before I used to run Zone Alarm firewall and also AVG link scanner and spyware blaster.
Too much security was defiantly the cause of my problems. I would suggest you try just the two products that I am currently using and see how you get on.
I f you are worried about decreased security may I suggest a good plan to overcome that ?
I installed Macrium Reflect Disk Imaging programme (Free) and when my system was freshly installed and "Clean " I took an image which was sent to my external hard drive (you can also use a second machine or a memory stick) The image ,when put back on , will restore you PC exactly to the state it was when you took that image. You lose nothing.
With that image sitting on my external I use my PC for a month all the while saving any executables of any programmes I have added or updated. I just put these in a file in my documents. I also keep a note of any changes I make to the PC and do that on notepad which I also store in my documents.
I dont worry about infections because I have a clean image which only takes about 1/2 hour to put on.
At the end of a month I send my saved executables and my wordpad document containing the notes about changes to my external and then put my month old disk image on to my laptop.
When I boot up my PC it is exactly like it was a month ago and clean.
I then run any saved executables and go through my notes to bring the PC up to date. I then visit Windows Updates and also get my security up to date.
Before I do anything else I then make an up to date disk image for use a month down the line. I don't visit web sites before this image is made as I want to be certain that it's clean.
This system does two things, firstly you always have a recent image that can be used to get you back to a clean working state and it also helps prevent software rot as you can download and delete as much as you like in the month and although you will initially get leftover bits when you delete stuff this will all go when you put on your old image.
The problem with relying on security software is threefold. Firstly it may not detect or stop malware and you may struggle to pinpoint the cause of problems. Secondly even it fit does find malware you can often find yourself with vital files in quarantine and no way to restore them and thirdly when you have cleaned your system you can never, I repeat , never be 100% sure it is clean and problems could appear months later.
The secret to my system is starting with a clean image. I did it fom a new PC but you may have to reinstall.
Yes it is a little work but Macrium is easy to use and relatively quick. I can do the whole process including new image in about 1 hour and it gives me peace of mind that my system will never be screwed by infection or software issues.
I hope this helps. Plesae let me know if you get any joy regarding the web pages and if you do decide to use Macrium I would be only to happy to help if you post here or send me a PM.
It's an easy programme but there are things you need to know for the learning curve.

Regards Alex

 

Thanks a lot for the help. I will try everything you said and hopefully, the problem wont occur again. Also, I'm going to look into Macrium because it definitely seems more reliable when it comes to an infected computer.

I will let you know if everything worked.

Thank You

 

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. Do look into Macrium as it will save you a lot of trouble both if you get an infection or a software issue. You have only hardware issues left to worry about. As I said , if you need any help with it . give me a shout and I will do my best.
Please do let me know how you get on with the page loading issue, I would be interested to know if it was a software conflict like mine. I never have the problem now but it took me months to crack it.
Good luck Alex.

 

Hi,
Just an addition here, I am running an HP laptop wireless with Vista also !!

Alex

 

I have removed my previous anitvirus program (Bittorrent). I asked people with the same problem, and all of them were using Bittorrent 2010 as well, if not, they were using Zone Alarm.

I am now using Avast and Prevx, I will let you know if the problem persists.

Thanks a lot for the help btw!

 

Hi.
My fingers are crossed for you.
Keep me informed.
Regards Alex.

 

I haven't had the problem for a week! It was indeed my security program Bittorrent causing the problem. Thank you for everything, I appreciate your interest in helping!

 

Hey that's great news ! Lets hope it continues, I'm confident it will. Something on your system was obviously not in step with your security.
Thank's for bothering to let me know. I was sat here hoping it was all sorted for you, it's great to know it is.
Good luck, Alex

 

Hi CM Punk.
Are you still problem free ? Hope so .
Alex