websites take forever to open

I have windows 8. No matter what website I go to it takes forever to open and sometimes it says "timed out". I have a clean computer with all my virus and malware programs. I have tried rebooting and it doesn't help. I was wondering if I have some program or whatever that is slowing it down. I would appreciate any ideas? Thanks!

What browser?

Most problems with IE are due to conflicting or corrupt add-ins. For some silly reason, "No Add-ons" is not an option in Windows 8. But you can still run with no-adds by entering the following in a command prompt:

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -extoff

Alternatively, I recommend you reset Internet Explorer. From within IE, click on Tools > Internet options > Advanced, then click "Reset…" to take IE back to its default settings with no add-ons.

I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that I use Firefox! Like even opening this website and then sending the reply takes a long time.

Does it do this IE or Chrome? Have you scanned for malware? It sure seems like you have an inordinate number of issues with your systems. Are you the only user of your computer?

It is not slow on IE and I don't have chrome installed. I have no malware, I've run all the scans. I am the only user of this computer. I do have a lot of problems with Firefox - those have been my main issues, yet when I google it, it is still the favorite of all browsers. I am so familiar with it.

yet when I google it, it is still the favorite of all browsers

No it isn't, not by a long shot and it hasn't been for some time now (see: Browser War 2013). It is a favorite among users who dislike anything Microsoft, but not among all users. Additionally, it is not the most secure either - especially with socially engineered malware - the most prolific. And FF has had more new vulnerabilities discovered than any of the favorite browsers for several years, including Chrome - though FF security does not matter if you keep your computer updated, use a good anti-malware solution and firewall, and you avoid risky behavior.

Since it works fine with IE, it is not a problem with Windows, your connection, or your hardware. You might try uninstalling FF, set IE (or Chrome) as your default, reboot, then re-install FF and see what happens. If still a problem, unless someone joins in with a solution, I recommend you visit the official Firefox Forums and make sure you say it works fine with other browsers.

Patti, download TFC (temporary file cleaner) by Old Timer http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/TFC-Temp-Fi…er-file187.html and save it to your desktop.

Save any unsaved work. TFC will close ALL open programs including your browser! you will not have acesses to your desktop while it is scanning.
Right-click on TFC.exe and choose Run As Administrator.
Click the Start button to begin the cleaning process and let it run uninterrupted to completion.
Important! If TFC prompts you to reboot, please do so immediately. If not prompted, manually reboot the machine anyway to ensure a complete clean.

This is a good application to keep and use.

I ran TFC and it emptied my recycle bin and I didn't see an option to change it. I don't want it to delete that. What do I do.

What do I do.

Don't delete things you want to keep! The Recycle Bin is not intended to be a permanent storage location. The Restore option is there in case you "accidently" delete something.

TFC, CCleaner, Disk Cleanup all empty the Recycle Bin to rid your system of clutter of unwanted and unneeded files.

You can set up cCleaner not to empty recycle bin. I have been told not to empty recycle bin so often in case there is something you need - which I do often. You asked in one of your earlier posts about the number of problems I have with my computer. I know I do. I am not sure why, especially on this new laptop. I don't visit many website except the common ones, I am very careful now on downloads. I am the only user of this computer. The problems I have seem to be related to firefox and yahoo. I called yahoo but they were no help. I posted in the ff forums, but haven't heard anything back from them yet. So I really don't know how I could be more careful. Maybe there are settings on all my virus and malware programs that I have wrong, don't know.

I have been told not to empty recycle bin so often in case there is something you need - which I do often.

Well, not sure what you mean by "so often".

You may need to modify your deleting habits and don't delete things unless sure you don't need it. I empty my Recycle Bin about once a week - and I look before emptying just to be sure.

Yes, you can set CCleaner not to empty it, but that is not a good practice. Deleted items clutter up the disk, and affect the efficiency of things like defragging the disk.

not knowing what I am doing - is it wise to use a registry cleaner? cCleaner has a registry cleaner, but I've been told not to use it.

Patti - Disregard that last post (which is now invisible) - he's a spammer.

How did you know that????? And I have taken advice from people on here, though I usually have seen that person's posts. I would have tried that though

If the person is not a member of the Tech Team, a member of our Malware Team, or an Admin, then don't follow their instructions.
You will only make matters worse for yourself and and then we'll all have to start over again on instructing you how to undo what you did wrong!!