Internet Explorer 8 Slow and Crashing

If you upgrade to Windows 7, you will need to upgrade the browser to Internet Explorer 8 or use a competitor’s browser, such as Firefox. Older versions are no longer compatible. Once you install Internet Explorer 8, you may find it runs very slow and crashes a lot. We did.

There are several possible reasons:
1. Type Maintenance in the Search bar. Choose “Fix Problems on Your Computer”. Choose Troubleshooting and then View All. Find the Internet Explorer 8 package and run it. That will fix some.
2. You may have too many restricted sites. To check, Choose Tools, then Options, then select the Security tab. If there are too many restricted sites this can slow you down.
3 The more likely problem is that an Add-On is causing the problem. Using the Tools menu, you can find the Manage Add-Ons option and go into that. Disable what you don’t think you need. You can always turn it back on, as disabling doesn’t remove it. Then restart IE8.

Need help: We’re in the Portland, OR area – email us at carltown@netadventures.biz

Thinking about switching to Windows 7?

Here are some notes about our conversion.

Summary: If you like war games, this is a good one.

Microsoft’s original intention in creating Vista was to load the new OS with every bell and whistle and make it the OS with many cool features. It didn’t take long for them to realize, however, that they already had a lot of angry Windows users out there because the basic Windows product was not stable, was viable to malware, and had a tendency to eat itself for lunch. The goals then shifted to building a reliable and secure Windows system that was easy for users to use. Vista was a step in that direction. Windows 7, just released, is finally what Vista should have been. It is a major upgrade to go from XP and earlier versions of Windows to Windows 7. From Vista it should be a minor upgrade, but that is not entirely true.

From XP

You can’t get there from here. To upgrade to Windows 7 from XP, there is no real path. Essentially you must back up your entire system, clear the system, install Windows 7 from scratch, reinstall any programs and drivers (drivers for Windows 7), and then install your data: word processing files, images, spreadsheets – everything. And a LOT of XP hardware and software won’t run Windows 7. As a result, to get from XP you are often better off buying a new computer. Don’t throw the old XP out, however, a lot of programs won’t run on Windows 7 and you will need the old computer for that unless you have several thousand dollars to update those programs.

If you do want to use your XP hardware, you can run Microsoft’s compatibility checker to see if it will run Windows 7.

Since you will have to re-install your programs to Windows 7, be sure you have the master disks and corresponding IDs before you start.

From Vista

For Vista systems, you can usually upgrade the operating system by purchasing a Windows 7 upgrade product. There are several versions of Windows 7. Be sure the upgrade is compatible with your version of Vista. Be sure your hardware is compatible before you start.

The Process

Before starting, run Microsoft’s Windows 7 compatibility checker.

If it passes, you are ready to start.
We did the upgrade.
1. Be very sure your system is backed up. If something happens, you want to be sure you can get home. If you are doing an upgrade, be sure the system has been scanned for viruses and any malware.
2. The upgrade process will first check your system for compatibility issues. This part of the install is looking for issues that would prevent the install from completing it’s task. It will then list issues it finds that should be resolved before updating. I had to uninstall some programs and uninstall one printer. Once that is completed, you have to begin the upgrade process again. You’ll need to repeat this until everything is seen as ready. Then the upgrade process automatically begins.
3. Once you’ve passed the compatibility hurdle, take a break for an hour or so while the update process continues.
4. Once Windows 7 comes up, then you need to reinstall the programs Windows had you take off and any printers that didn’t get picked up on the installation.

If the process seems too complex for you, why not let us help? We can help you make the upgrade. My rate is $40 an hour.