Merry Christmas, Guys!

1. My Internet Explorer is running really slowly. (Windows 7) Is it possible to re-install it or something similar to sort the problem?

2. Meantime, I am using Google Chrome and no problems with this at all. However, Google Chrome does not appear to have a toolbar. All I need is 'Home' and 'Favourites'. Is it possible to get them?

3. How can I make the Google Chrome launch into a full page? It always loads small and to one side.

4. Also, how can I get folders to open at a set size and in the same place on my desktop all the time?

Many thanks.

That's a lot of questions - let's deal with the first first. Note you did not say what version of IE you are using but most problems with IE are due to bad or conflicting add-ons. I recommend you click on the Start button then start typing "Internet Explorer" in the Search Programs and files text box until you see "Internet Explorer (No Add-ons)" appear, then click on that and see if still slow. If it runs fine, then you have an add-on problem - perhaps a bad or conflicting toolbars. Then you might "reset" IE by clicking Tools > Internet Options > Advanced > Reset.

Have you scanned for malware? If not, update your scanners and run a complete scan. If still slow, then I recommend having one of our Malware Removal experts take a look at your system. Please read this then start a new topic here.

Digerati,

Reset did not work. I downloaded IE9 but still slow. I'll stick with Google Chrome but thanks very much for your help.

Note that IE8 and IE9 are not inherently slow so this suggests you still have other problems. You need to ensure your system is free of malware.

Thanks, Degerati. I will run a scan.

Thanks again.

A couple of free programs you can also try -- 360 Amigo System Speedup -- and Sweepi.

ricochet

Thank you, Ricochet. I'll check these out.

Parkhead, I would be very careful using any software that advertises itself as speeding up your PC. Most do nothing or actually cause harm.

Sweepi sounds like it might be somewhat useful as accumulated temporary files can slow your computer down some, but for that I would recommend CCleaner instead.

Take a look at this article: Repair & Reset Winsock in Windows 7

Repeats some of what Digerati said but also includes info on resetting winsock (Windows Socket Services) which can often cause browser slowdown.

I agree with Ztrucker - quite often these optimizer programs do more harm than good so if you decide to use them, they should be used with extreme caution. Even though 360 Amigo is getting some good reviews, expect the worst case scenario and backup all your data first, and back up your registry too - I recommend using ERUNT for that.

Well, I just tried Amigo360 and quickly uninstalled it. I don't like or appreciate the scare tactics it uses. Understand, I keep my system "tidy" and secure and I use CCleaner on a fairly regular bases - including just yesterday. 360Amigo has some nice tools bundled in but the cleaning features scared me first, then raised my ire. It immediately reported my system as "Bad" before I even started the scan, then in less than a minute, it found over 15,000!!!! "problems" on just my boot drive (it did not scan my other drive for some reason). And understand the only thing in my boot drive is Windows and hardware drivers. Even my Temporary Internet Files are stored on another drive. No way are there 15,000 "problems" on my boot drive so no way was I going to let it fix them.