Computer problems

[bhsl8]

Well, I assume everyone is sick and tired of all my attempts to get my ugly mug posted. Thanks again to Shari for the suggestion it took to get me over the top. I also have another computer problem that I solicit help with. Whenever I log on to the forum and switch in between different areas, I often have to log on again and sometimes I am even unable to access the previous screen. Sometimes I am told that that page is no longer available and to try the refresh button but it never works. I spoke by e-mail with Andy about this problem and he suggested that I make sure my computer accepts cookies. It does and therefore I am at a loss to figure out why I keep having this problem. I informed him of this so he suggested I start a new thread. Hence, my long-winded explanation. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Brouck

[overlander64]

Greetings Brouck!

You may not actually have a problem with your computer. If you are using a dial-up Internet connection, it may be with your Internet Service Provider. There are certain times of the day when I experience exactly the problem you describe, and know the frustration that it can cause. My ISP (Internet Service Provider) is over-subscribed for the local hub that serves my telephone exchange so at any time when there are large numbers of people trying to access the net - - my web access gets "flaky" and causes the problem that you describe. With my local ISP, I find that the least traffic is usually after 11:00 p.m.

If you are running Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP or similar, you might want to try clearing out the temporary files by going to :

1.) Click on Start
A.) Select Programs
B.) Select Accessories folder
C.) Select System Tools folder
D.) Click on "Disk Cleanup" icon

The program will now check your machine, and will shortly display a dialogue box asking if you want to clean drive C. Click OK and the examination will continue - - a few seconds or a few minutes later (will depend upon the speed of your CPU and the size of the hard drive) you will receive a status break down that tells you how many temporary files are saved on your machine. You need to be most concerned with "Temporary Internet Files" and "Temporary Files" - - when I perform this operation on my machine, I choose these two options at the bare minimum - - when you click OK, these temporary files will be removed. This is not a guaranteed solution, but it is a good first start.

I find that with my setup, the two issues described above are the most likely causes of strange and otherwise unexplainable hiccups with my web browser.

Kevin

[bhsl8]

Kevin, thank you for your response. Indeed I do have a dial-up connection. I am lusting for DSL but because I do most of my computer stuff in my clinic the company wants to charge me a business price and sign a five-year contract. I will try your suggestion but I must tell you, I have trouble staying up until 11 PM! Thanks again
Brouck

[ALANSD]

Another suggestion for you, one that is often overlooked. If you have not done it recently run Windows update. You may be able to improve your internet and general computer performance by getting the necessary service packs and fixes for your OS.
If your connection is unstable this might take awhile, but it is worth a try. Then restart and see how it goes. This is especially true if you have Win ME, Win 2000, XP (yes even XP has a bunch of patches and fixes). Most people forget to do this and it really does help.

[overlander64]

Greetings Brouck!

While driving home this evening, I thought about something that might help when you are experiencing problems with posts if you haven't already discovered this coping method. After losing several posts to these flukes, it finally ocurred to me that copying my post prior to hitting submit would be an insurance policy. The easiest way of handling this (with Windows systems at least) is to place the cursor anywhere in the post then right-click the mouse and click "Select All" from the pop-up menu - - then right-click again and select copy - - then click "Submit" with the knowledge that you have the copy as a backup. If what seems to be the inevitable happens and you are asked to log-in again, it is a simple matter to click into the message area after logging in and right-clicking to select "Paste" to rescue the preious material that you had intended to post. I always use this technique when working on my home machine, and it significantly reduces the frustration of lost posts.

Kevin