Horribly Slow Browsing in Vista

What could be tripping up Web browsing in a seemigly Vista-capable PC?

by Neil J. Rubenking

Q. I have a Windows Vista Home Premium machine with 2GB of memory. My Web browsing is unbelievably slow. When I click on most Web pages I watch the little circle on the tab go round and round as it sometimes takes more than a minute to load a page. At first I thought it was a problem with IE7, but I have the same problem with Firefox . I know it's not a problem with my connection because this happens at home with my cable modem and at work with a very fast connection. Also, if I use my Windows XP system, I don't have the problem. Is there a Vista setting that I messed up?—James Malone

A. You may have a problem with Vista's "Auto-Tuning," which is not compatible with certain routers and other network devices. If you like, you can run the Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool found at www.microsoft.com/windows/using/tools/igd. Note that you'll have to use Internet Explorer and install an ActiveX control. Pay special attention to the TCP High Performance test. But it may be easier just to turn off Auto-Tuning and see if that helps.

To check, do this: At the Start menu type command, but don't immediately launch the command prompt. Instead, right-click it and choose Run as Administrator. Type this command:

netsh interface tcp show global

If the line Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level does not say "disabled," enter this command:

netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=restricted

Better? If no change, repeat the above process but use the command

netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=disabled

If this didn't help, you might as well put things back to normal by repeating the above but finishing with the command

netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=normal

FROM PCMAG

Use a Vista Restore Point to Log On to a System

If you've recently set a new password and forgotten it, this is a quick way around the problem. The only caveats are that you must have had System Restore enabled and that you need to remember your previous password. If this applies, then drop your Vista installation DVD into your drive and reboot. Start the installation process and designate the system language, the time, and your keyboard format.
At this point the option Repair your PC will pop up, so select that and click Next. Now select the System Restore option and again click Next. Select the restore point you'd like to use, confirm your selection, and click Finish, then Yes when it's time to restart. Once the system restarts, close the System Restore process and log on using your older credentials. You may have lost a little bit of data, but if your backup process runs often enough you should be able to restore that from your NAS or server.

PCMAG