08 January, 2013

PC Tips & Tricks Tuesday, New Love Monkeys & FREEBIES!!!


Resolving a SLOW Browsing session

(Make sure to clear your browsing history before starting this tutorial)

If you are like me, then you might spend a lot of time online from your PC. One of the most frustrating things to happen while online is having to work with a VERY S-L-O-W browser! Who Does??

What is the first thing you do when you encounter this problem??

Do you:
1. Click the window a million times; making the situation worse? ha
2. Take a cat nap between pauses and hope that when you lift you head, it will all be fixed?
3. Attempt to click the "X" or close the browser - only to find that closing the browser takes just as long?
4. Use CTRL + ALT + DELETE to force close and solve the problem, as thought those buttons were the electronic form of duct-tape?
5. Press the power button on your machine; forcing the computer to shut down (Big No NO)?
6. Pull up your big girl (or boy) panties, hold out your hand and DISS the screen as though insulting your computer will somehow make it feel bad enough to behave better later?
7. Walk away and forget the computers exist?

If you have done any of these, or all of them, you are not alone! hahaha

Well, today, I am going to give you ONE very powerful solution that works to speed up your browser about 90% of the time... Would you like to know how?? It is not difficult at all & you will be allowed to use your electronic duct tape (CTRL + ALT + DELETE)

This fix works on Google Chrome and Internet Explorer. I am sure you can use this technique on any browser, but don't hold me to that statement if you can't..hahaha. I have included direction for a PC user with Windows 7 or above.


What to do when your Browser is running SUPER SLOW...



1. Leave your browser open & use your keyboard to hold down the CTRL + ALT + Delete keys at the same time to bring up the task pane window. 

Once you click all three keys on your keyboard you will get a Windows option screen. Choose the last option to Start Task Manager. Make sure you are logged on as the ADMINISTRATOR.

2. Once the Task Manager opens, click on the PROCESSES Tab (see below)

The Process tab will show you everything that is currently running on your computer (I know, I have a LOT running right now).

2. Under the PROCESSES tab, scroll down the list until you find your browser. I am using Google Chrome, so I have scrolled down and found where my browser process is running. As you can see, my browser is not using a lot of memory or CPU. This is proof that I do not have a slow running browser at the moment..haha
If you are using Internet Explorer or another browser, look for the specific name on the list. I have two windows open at the moment, so naturally, there are two processes running in Chrome. In the past, I have used Internet Explorer and notice several processes running when I only have one window open! That is an Internet Explorer thing and I suggest that you choose the process that is consuming the most memory.

If you look below, you will notice that the window I am typing in is using up more memory than the window I have opened in the background. Find the one using the most memory and click to highlight that process.

3. Right click on that process and choose SET AFFINITY... on the list.

4. Once the AFFINITY window opens, you will see a list of processors or CPU. All of the processors are checked by default. I have quite a few processors, but most computers have around 2-4.

You can see from the image above that the affinity for Chrome is using all of the processors on the list. 

5. To save memory and speed up your system, UNCHECK all of the boxes, but one. It does not matter which one you leave checked (see below)

6. Click OK.

7. You can choose to close out the Task Manager OR set the affinity for other processes from your browser that may be using a lot of memory. 

8. Once you are finished setting the affinity for those processes, close the Task Manager and you should  notice a significant change in the speed of your browser!!

You will need to set the affinity in the Task Manager anytime your browser is running slower than normal. These settings are not permanent and will have to be changed when you open your browser. If your browser is running fine, you will not need to set the affinity.

If this does not speed up your browsing, try disabling all of your Browser extensions. Click on the links below for instruction on how to disable the extensions.

Disable Extensions in Google Chrome
Disable Extensions in Internet Explorer

Thank you so much for stopping by & I hope you have a SPEEDY recovery..hahaha.. I crack myself up! Tune in Next Tuesday for more PC TIPS & TRICKS!!



In other news... I would like to introduce my newest +Valentine Clip Art Set & give you a nice freebie to grab!!! Meet, THE LOVE Monkeys..hahaha

The LOVE monkeys are bright and full of cuteness! There are over 40 images; including the line art for each style & 11 matching digital backgrounds for your projects!! I hope you LOVE these little guys..hahaha
















Purchase this set directly from my BLOG!!

Or...

Check out the LOVE monkeys:
TeachersPayTeachers
Teachers Notebook The traffic here is pretty pitiful, but I have hope..haha
Etsy

EVERYBODY LOVES FREEBIES!!! Here are a couple freebies from my newest set...just spreading the LOVE!!! Enjoy & please read my Terms of Use BEFORE using my graphics for personal and/or commercial use. Thank you!


Photobucket
Photobucket
I am sending you good vibes and GIANT LOVE!!
You can grab more Free Clip Art on my Free Clip Art Photobucket Album Below!!
Thank you for following my blog!! 
04fallingstar's Free Clip Art by The 3AM Teacher album on Photobucket

16 comments:

  1. Your blog post was entertaining :). I know I've done all of those things dozens of times. I need to see if it works with Safari. I can't wait to get this clip art set :)have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would love to know if it works in Safari...it should..haha

      I think we have all attempted one of those solutions - at least once...hahaha

      Michelle

      Delete
  2. Thank you for posting about this. I just wish I was the admin on my work computer, which is still running XP. That is more than likely the problem! The Google Drive won't even sync at work because of XP!! If this happens at home, now I know what to do! Thanks so much!!

    Andrea
    Reading Toward the Stars

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This will work on Windows Vista, but I am not sure about XP...eek.. You can try to do this at work and if the AFFINITY option is not shaded (Meaning that you can click on it) then you will be able to change those settings...it's worth a try..hahaha... I have become spoiled with speed that even a few seconds seems like an eternity sometimes..haha

      Thank you for stopping by and checking out the tips!!

      Michelle

      Delete
  3. Thanks for the freebies! Your blog and your clip are it awesome! I have also enjoyed your computer help lately. I do have a computer question for you that I have been unable to have other people answer.........maybe you can........Lately, when I place clip art into Word and then flatten it to a pdf, the clip art turns black on the pdf document. Clip art (yours too!!) that worked before for me previously is no longer working. I have checked my computer for viruses and yielded nothing. Is there something else I need to check on my computer to correct this? To solve it, I have been dropping things into Powerpoint and saving the graphics as a png file - the graphics no longer turn black but they lose some clarity in the process. Help please!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know EXACTLY what is happening!! You came to the right nerd! hahaha..

      There are two things you can do to fix this issue that I know of...

      #1. The new update for Adobe Acrobat Reader AND Adobe Acrobat Pro caused some default settings in the program to change.

      You can open Adobe Acrobat Pro...or...access the Adobe PREFERENCES from within your MS Office program.

      Once you have Adobe Preferences open, you will see and option that says: ENABLE ACCESSIBILITY AND REFLOW. You will notice that the box is checked. This is the new default after one of the last updates.

      2. UN-CHECK the "Enable Accessibility & Reflow" option and click OK or SAVE.

      This option will prevent many graphic images from even showing up after conversion or to show up in CMKY colors (the settings should be RGB color, but you don't even have to bother with that..haha). Once you DISABLE this option, your images, fonts, and backgrounds will now show up clearly.

      OPTION 2:
      The next thing you can check in ADVANCED SETTINGS under PREFERENCES is the image compression settings.

      Open Adobe PREFERENCES from within your MS Office program, and click the option at the bottom of the preferences window: ADVANCED SETTINGS (may be worded differently, but will have ADVANCED).

      Once in ADVANCED settings, click on the IMAGE tab in the column to the left. ONCE there, you can change the image quality and compression settings.

      If you want great images with the highest resolution, click on the drop down menu under the image formats that are listed and choose MAXIMUM for your image quality.

      This option will; however, cause your files to be a bit larger. I recommend to set the quality for HIGH or MED. for best results for everyday printing and online viewing.

      There are a few other tweaks you can do to make the PDF quality better after converting the file, but I don't want to write a dissertation here..haha

      Email me with any further questions and I will be more than happy to help you!
      I hope this helps!!

      Thank you for stopping by and It does feel good to know that these little tips are helping...even if it is only a few people (-;

      Michelle

      Delete
    2. Forgot to insert my email:

      3amteacher@gmail.com... Cheers!!

      Delete
  4. Always the cutest stuff. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for this post! I followed your directions and found that I have about 6 chromes on my task manager list. Can I end all but 1 of them?
    Dana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You don't want to END any of them, since Chrome often runs several processes for each window open, depending on what you are doing. The reason Chrome is a fast browser is because they separate the processes into sections opposed to running them all from one window. Have you ever been using Chrome and gone to a site where it crashes or gives you the "re-load" message? If you have several Chrome windows open and one crashes, the multiple processes running will prevent all of the windows from having to close. I hope that makes sense.

      To limit the amount of memory the computer is running on each window, you can adjust the affinity within each process. You can adjust it on each process that is running or just fins the one using the most amount of memory. Always start with the window that is running the most memory to change the affinity.

      You can email me if you need more info...(-;

      3amteacher@gmail.com

      Thanks,
      Michelle

      Delete
    2. Thanks! I think my browser really is running faster now! You're brilliant!

      Delete
  6. I'm kind of thinking like Dana... how do I know which browser window is for which process? (If I have more than one instance of Chrome running, I mean)

    Thanks for all the helpful info & the great artwork, Michelle!

    Tammy (aka Mme Aiello) Teaching FSL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. That is a great question..haha

      It really does not matter what process is running for which window, becasue you are NOT ending the process, you are only changing where on your computer the process is pulling memory from. Each process only needs one CPU..UNLESS you are running a graphic design program or a MS program. Those programs REQUIRE a large amount of memory and the extra CPU's help to prevent the program from crashing. However, I am not suggesting that you ever change the affinity of a program process!! This is only for a web browser.

      You don't want to END the processes for the Chrome windows that are open, you only want to find the window using the MOST memory and change the affinity of the process to speed up the process by allocating the memory use to ONE CPU.. I know that must sound like a bunch of jargon..haha

      Email me and I can walk you through it in more detail if needed (-;

      Michelle

      Delete
  7. Am loving your blog and your stuff! I am your newest follower!
    Thanks
    Sarah

    ReplyDelete

Love Notes...