Windows XP PC question

[figmo]

I have this Lenovo 3000 N200 running Windows XP Pro. When I'm using Firefox (3.0.4) it sometimes totally hangs. I have noticed some of the wedging occurs when it tries to access particular sites, but even blocking them has not stopped it from trying to access these sites and has not stopped the hanging.

The performance of this computer also seems slower than that of my Compaq Presario 6000 running Windows XP Media Edition. The latter system doesn't hang when running the same version of Firefox. I would have expected the Lenovo (the newer system) to be the faster of the two, but it isn't.

Some comparisons:Chip: Intel Pentium Dual CPU T2390, 1.86 GHz, 1GB RAM

Lenovo system	Compaq system
Windows XP Professional 2002, Service Pack 2	Windows XP Media Center Edition, Service Pack 3
Chip: AMD Turin 64 Mobile technology MK-36, 2.01 GHz, 1.93 GB RAM, Physical Address Extension

I am aware that the whole GHz thing can be irrelevant when you're talking about different chips, so I don't know which chip is supposed to be faster. Any advice on whether I'm doing something wrong or if indeed my perception is correct would be appreciated, as well as any way to keep Firefox from crashing.

Comments

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

I was reading about 3.0.4 last night and I remembered something that might shed some light. At http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/3.0.4/releasenotes/ , the known issues section, it talks about some of the things causing it to crash. I'm still using 2.0.18 because I'm too lazy to change over yet so I'm not all that familiar with Firefox 3, but maybe this can help.

[oreouk.livejournal.com]

This may be completely irrelevant to you but...

Does your Lenovo have an XP sticker on it or a Vista sticker? In the UK there are a number out with Vista stickers that have been 'downgraded' to running XP (because that's the operating system more desired). Because it is not a 'clean' XP installation this causes some problems to crop up.

Not that this is a solution by any means, merely a note that it may be causing you problems not encountered by others. So helpful, eh?

[jethric.livejournal.com]

This may also totally have nothing to do with the issue: But the Lenovo is not upgraded to Service Pack 3... that seems a little strange for a 'newer' system, even if it does have 'Pro' on it.

There were a number of crash-related and security-related things in Service Pack 3.

Be warned, however, Service Pack 3 can be it's own pain in the sometimes, getting it downloaded and installed, especially on a laptop. And it takes a serious amount of time.

And lastly, this may NOT solve your problem at all. I would go look at those release notes that tsjafo mentioned.

[patoadam]

To keep Firefox from hanging, use Safari. :-)

[keristor.livejournal.com]

One thing I notice -- it seems (if I'm reading your descriptions correctly, you have some sort of invalid HTML markup which has messed up your table) that the Lenovo only has 1GB of RAM on it. That could make a big difference. Have a look at the "commit charge" in task manager, if it's saying that the amount of memory used is more than the physical RAM then you may be running into resource conflicts. Is the AMD64 actually running a 64 bit version of Windows?

[ravan.livejournal.com]

...occurs when it tries to access particular sites, but even blocking them has not stopped it from trying to access these sites...

Ummm, have you checked for viruses, trojans and worms? Updated your antivirus? That sounds like malware running behind the scenes is slowing you down.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

It does appear the Lenovo has some kind of viruses despite my having updated my antivirus software.

Every time I tried to download Windows XP Service Pack 3 my browser got diverted away to weird and random sites. Eeeyuck.

I am quickly remembering why I dislike Windows so much and can't wait till I get my PowerBook back. Reading email on a Windows system gives me the creeps, and I suspect that's where I somehow got the malware.

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

Here are two possible things to try:

1. Find the folder that has your Mozilla state information (saved passwords, bookmarks, etc.) in it and rename that folder out of the way. This will bring Firefox back to a virgin state. Then see if it continues to hang/crash. This may not work if what you're fighting is a virus, but it solved a problem or two for me on Linux once. (And I'm sorry, I don't know where that folder is. Someone else who's currently on Windows might be able to tell you; if not, search your hard drive for files/folders named "chrome" or "bookmarks.html.") Once you get things straightened out you can copy your bookmarks back into the new folder that's created. You will have to re-enter all your login information, though, which can be a pain in the neck if you save passwords the way I do.

2. Install the Adblock Plus plugin and use it to block the sites your computer keeps trying to go to.

Sounds like you really should get the thing scanned for viruses as well. Many things are said about Comcast, and most of them are true if not understated, but they do provide McAfee security software for free, and it's kept my wife's computer safe.