Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with slow

SBOA (Spinning Beachball of Annoyance)

ottereroticist — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:52:33 -0800

My Mac just got very sluggish. Common actions like typing, scrolling, clicking app controls, etc. cause the beachball to appear for 5-10 seconds. This happens across applications. Please help me figure out what's wrong. It's a MacBook with OS X 10.4.11 and 2 GB RAM. I've had it about 3 1/2 years. This just started today, and I can't think what could have changed to cause it. FYI, the annoying thing has happened at least a dozen times while I was posting this. GRR! Help!

wireless router SLOW

cg2 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:07:42 -0800

I just put in a new router (cisco wireless n broadband router wrt160N) and it is totally fast when the ethernet cable is plugged into my computer. When I try to use it wirelessly, it works but is VERY slow. any ideas? thanks!!!!!

Slow typing in Excel 2008 and unexplained network traffic

lbergstr — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:06:18 -0800

Why would Excel 2008 cause a lot of network traffic while typing in a cell? After using Excel 2008 for a few months, recently I've experienced sluggishness when typing in cells. These are really serious slowdowns, the display can take 5 seconds to catch up to my typing. It comes and goes; haven't been able to discern a pattern here.

However I use MenuMeters and during slowdowns, I've noticed that network traffic spikes when I'm typing in Excel - say 150KB down, 33KB up.

I'm not editing a document on a network drive, or even an external drive. Happens whether or not I have any external drives connected.

I'm connected to a local network via wifi, and through that to the Internet - but our external connection tops out around 25KB down.

Any ideas?

Using Excel 2008 SP1 on 10.5.8.

How to deal with "I can't be in a relationship right now"?

mattsweaters — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:34:58 -0800

How to deal with "I can't be in a relationship right now"? I've been seeing a girl for a few months now and we've been getting really close and I've begun feeling very excited about us and attached. Until..I get the whole "I can't be in a relationship right now, can we just slow down?" talk and I'm having a hard time with it.

Now I should say I believe her and right now we're living a few hours apart. She has a lot to deal with and I wanted to see if we could slow things down, but the second this happened it felt like it just killed all the intimacy and fun from what we had [trips canceled, visit to my city no longer staying with me] and I feel like I should just move on.

So my question, Is it cold to just move on and cut off contact as as if this is a break up? Any mefites here have any experience in a similar situation? I've been feeling like a jerk for cutting her out because she does say she would like to try for something real in the future and that she needs to figure some things out in her life. And to be clear, the only reason I'm doing it is because I'm pretty heartbroken and I don't want to sit around waiting for someone to change their mind about how they feel about me. thanks!

Can I use a rice cooker as a slow cooker?

Jubey — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:27:32 -0800

Slow cooker/rice cooker question. I have a standard Cuisinart rice cooker and I've heard it said that you can cook other things in it as well, so my question is, can I use it as a slow cooker, in other words, will any slow cooker recipes turn out just as well in a rice cooker? If so, please share them with me! Just to add, I also realise that a while back someone posted a link from a celebrity - not sure which one - about cooking with a rice cooker but I was wondering what other people's experiences were with it.

Slow & Steady

ocherdraco — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:07:16 -0800

Why is my website loading slowly, and how can I fix it? My blog (linked from my profile page) seems to load incredibly slowly (sometimes taking up to a minute), even though it's not a content heavy site.

Things that may be relevant:

the blog is Wordpress v. 2.0.4

the admin page for the blog loads up just fine, with no delay

it used to be hosted at the .com version of the url, but after a brief scare in which I lost access to that url (though it was later regained) it was switched to .org, and I'm not certain that I changed absolutely everything that ought to have been

the page displays my Twitter feed, which is the main content that resides on the main page and comes from outside the site itself

Why is it loading slowly, and what can I do to fix it?

upgraded to snow leopard, or should that be slow leopard?

nunoidia — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:19:18 -0800

Help! I upgraded to snow leopard and now my internet is painfully slow. A quick google search shows i'm not the only one, but the only fix I can find (to do with the firewall) doesn't help me as I don't have firewall on. There seems to be no difference between Safari and Firefox. I'm seriously considering using time machine to get back to Leopard days. As an example, pre snow leopard, a speed test measured at 1.83mb/s download, 0.16mb/s upload and 41ms latency, speed test just now says 0.46mb/s, 0.24mb/s upload and 51ms latency. Therefore it looks like my upload speed has improved by my download has taken a dial up style kicking. As I don't upload anything very often, I don't care about any improvement in this area. Can anyone assist? I'm running a January 2009 macbook if that helps.

Computer slowing for no reason!

moiraine — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:54:53 -0800

Why did my laptop (Vista) started slowing down dramatically for no reason? This is after I rebooted (many times), and turned off half the startup programs, ran anti-virus programs and AdAware. Today, I was using my laptop (Vista), had a couple of programs running, but nothing insanely memory-hungry -- Excel, Word, Publisher, SigmaPlot, EndNote, Chrome --, when all of a sudden, my computer started slowing VERY noticeably. When I am working within a single program, my computer works fine. When I switch programs, it takes a while before the other program opens. This is very frustrating, because I am a heavy Alt-Tab user, and while five seconds doesn't seem like a long time, it does in Alt-Tab world.

Anyway, I tried all the usual suspects -- rebooted, turning off start-up programs, checking the computer for malware. No luck.

Please help me!

The stuff Dreamweaver's are made of

sandra_s — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:08:27 -0800

Dreamweaver CS3 on Vista slows to a halt when typing or adding text. My laptop is a Vista machine with 4gb ram. I Just replaced Dreamweaver MX, which I use for years on my XP box and on this laptop.

I was having problems with MX not assigning tables correctly and was advised that since it was older and not written for Vista, I would need to upgrade to a Vista-compatible version.

I bought CS3. That fixed the tables problem, but the inputting of text is SO SLOW. If you try to manually type it in, after the first character it just "thinks about it" and locks up the whole program for 2-10 minutes. Yes, thats 2-10 minutes.

Same thing with pasting text. ctrl+v equals a similar wait.

it will eventually do it, but to enter in 3 paragraphs is taking somewhere just under an hour.

Dreamweaver is useless to me like this, but I paid a lot of money for it, so I'd really like to find a fix.

Any thoughts?

What is for Dinner?

MayNicholas — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:22:32 -0800

I have read conflicting reviews about cooking boneless skinless chicken breast in a slow cooker. I will be making apricot chicken in the crock pot tomorrow. The recipe calls for a chicken cut into serving size pieces. I am using boneless skinless chicken breast instead. How long do you usually cook it on low? The recipe says 3-8 hours. Pretty wide berth there. Any tips?

XP Pro x64 SP2 non-responsive on the domain

the_binary_blues — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:51:35 -0800

Windows XP Pro x64 SP2 on hp dv4-1430us loads and run's slow on the domain but not when I log on locally. I have an HP Pavilion dv4-1430us running windows XP pro x64 SP2 and my problem is that it takes 7 minutes to login onto the computer when I log onto the domain. Then it is extremely no responsive when it is on the domain and it takes 5 min for word and excel to load. The computer is so slow on the domain I can walk away and come back and it will still be loading.

When I log onto the computer locally it takes 30 seconds to load windows (after I login) and programs open without any latency at all.

I have tried fixing asyncronous loading of networking during the boot up process as described in this article to no avail.

any advice on how to fix this latency issue?

I asked the network admins and they were perplexed and told me something to the affect of we are busy and we will get to it later unless you can find a good solution online that we can try.

the domain controllers and dns servers are w2k3sbs

please help

Can someone please explain random internet slowings which can only be fixed by unplugging router...

dan g. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:56:30 -0800

What is causing my Qwest DSL internet connection to get slow several times a day. Unplugging the router fixes the problem temporarily. We have Qwest DSL hooked up to an apple time capsule/time machine thing which serves as our wireless router. We've had this problem for several years where the internet connection suddenly gets molasses slow and the only fix is to unplug the router, leave it unplugged for 30 seconds, then plug it back in and wait for the connection to come back up.
Recently though, this has been happening with more frequency, to the point where it happens 3-4 times a day now, and the connection can take as long as 5-10 minutes to come back sometimes (this time varies wildly though).
2 questions:
1: Can someone explain in layman's terms what is happening and why unplugging the router fixes the problem?
2: How best to address this problem. Is the router just wearing out? Is there something that Qwest can/should do on their end to fix things? Would a new router solve the problem?

Thanks AskMe!

How can I fix slow network speeds?

mithiirym — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:07:42 -0800

What is making the connection between my two computers so slow? Computer A runs Windows XP Professional; Computer B runs Windows Vista 32-bit and Windows 7 64-bit. No matter which version of Windows Computer B has running, the connection between the two computers is very slow. A 1GB file taking 80 minutes seems very slow to me. Computer A's XP is pretty much untouched; I've made no network-related changed aside from installing NetBEUI which did nothing. Computer B is also untouched in regards to network settings on both Vista and Windows 7. I use a WRT54GL running Tomato in G mode; both network cards are set to use G mode and are connected at 54mbps with perfect signal strength. Any ideas on how to remedy the slowness?

My 5 year old dell laptop (8600) has suddenly lost processor speed.

merocet — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:54:40 -0800

My 5 year old dell laptop (8600) has suddenly lost processor speed. Techy details after the break... Inspiron 8600 running XP Home with Intel Pentium M 1.7 Ghz processor has stopped showing it's clock speed as 1.6something and now reports either 592 Mhz or lower.

Computer really drags (two firefox windows nearly brought me to a halt just then so it doesn't seem to be a speed step thing (i.e. the computer isn't throttling back the processor and then letting it go flat out when needed). The laptop is plugged in to power and set to be "always on" in it's power scheme which I believe should force it to be running at full speed.

Today I was trying to speed up the computer for working with Cubase. I changed settings as follows;

Visual Effects - adjust for best performance
Paging file size - changed from "no paging file" to "3070 MB" which was the recommended setting on the Virtual Memory Tab.
In TweakUI I unchecked "optimize hard disk when idle".

I have changed all of these parameters back to their original settings.

The only other thing I did was to blow some air from an air cannister into the vents on the laptop to try to clear some dust to help the pc cool itself.

I have since;
- installed SpeedswitchXP to see whether I could force anything that way and,
- Had a look in the start up settings (reports as a 1.7 Ghz processor running at 600 Mhz) but doesn't let me change anything (Dell crippled BIOS)

Any ideas what might have caused this change for the worse? Needless to say Cubase is not a possibility any more and neither are Sony Vegas or Photoshop so there goes my three pronged creative effort!

How to investigate a slow startup process on Windows XP computers on a medium business domain

joshrholloway — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:11:52 -0800

Is there software or some automated method to audit the entire startup process of a Windows XP computer to find why startup is slow? We run a Windows domain here at work with around 300 computers. Recently the startup process on basically every computer has slowed down significantly. We have enabled verbose messages and we see that "Applying computer settings" and "Running startup scripts" are taking a particularly long time.

I know there is software that can audit the startup process after a user logs in, but we are looking for something that can automatically audit the entire startup process from the time that Windows begins booting so we can see exactly what is happening that is causing the slowdown or what is taking so long to finish running. Is there anything out there that can do this effectively? If not, what is the best way to diagnose this issue manually? Just turning off policies and startup scripts one-by-one through trial-and-error?

Thanks!

wirless connection slow down

tangyraspberry — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:39:50 -0800

Can anyone suggest a remedy for a slowed up wireless connection? My p.c., laptop's wireless connection has mysteriously slowed way down even though my wife's connection speed (we both work at home) remains strong. I purchased and swept my laptop multiple times with an anti-malware program which found and rid my p.c of several viruses. The program now shows my system is free of all viruses yet the problem continues.

DVD Shrink rips slower on my new Vista laptop! HALP!

wastelands — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:23:25 -0800

Speeding up DVD Shrink ripping on my laptop? I bought a new MSI laptop, which is otherwise powerful (Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz, 4 GB RAM, etc.). But ripping DVDs in DVD Shrink is about 3x as slow as on my old Dell!

How could it change so dramatically? Is this Vista related? I went from XP to Vista.

I tried turning on the "overleaving" or whatever feature in DVD Shrink; didn't help.

Best slow cooker kicking?

fantasticninety — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:57:26 -0800

What's the best slow cooker out there? I'm moving into a new condo soon and would like to celebrate the move with the purchase of a slow cooker. Imagine that price is no object: what is the best slow cooker out there?

Here are my criteria in order of importance:

- easy to clean, easy to use

- safe (I want no worries about going to work with it cooking)

- decent size (but no so huge that I won't use it because it'll take too long to clean)

- ability to brown meat in the same slow cooker before adding other items (if this is even an option)

- variable and long timer (so that if I come home late from work it will have automatically turned off or to a lower temperature instead of reducing it to a pulp)

Thanks so much for everyone's help!

Digital videocam capable of slow-motion video?

rubadub — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:54:55 -0800

Can you suggest a video camera for recording slow-motion video? I'd like to find a digital camera that can record at an increased frame rate (300fps? 600fps? more?) and output at 30fps.

The only one I've found on my own is the Casio Exilim EX-F1, which seems to record 1200fps at 336x96 or 60fps at 1920x1080.

Are there any other possibilities? Used gear is OK, I'd like to get something for as cheap as possible since this is for entertainment purposes only and not something academic.

Slow Down Ricky Bobby!

toaster — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:17:51 -0800

I go too fast at work. How do I slow down? Literally, I go too fast. I rush through things, and then the quality of my work suffers. I try to slow down, but I end up getting comfortable and speeding back up again. And then I get yelled at. And then I'm frustrated.

How can I permanently slow down, so I'm paying attention to detail, reviewing my work for stupid/silly mistakes, etc.?

How Will Daily Life Change During This Slow-Depression?

raikkohamilonso — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:02:31 -0800

How is daily life going to change over the next few years - because of the Slow Depression? I'm starting to see trucking companies with lots of trailers parked. Roads seem to be getting pretty bad. Banking system is basically on the way out. Major retail seems headed to the bottom as well.

I'm presuming food is going to start going up at some point. Gas as well. Distribution of goods/services seems to be at risk? Are there angles that are not obvious? Is anyone planning for this?

Clam Chowder Recipes

snoelle — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:33:48 -0800

Best Slow Cooker Clam Chowder for my Super Bowl Party? Looking for a great recipe I can put on the night before, and cook all night to be ready for the game! New England preferred but will consider all types.

Looking for old commercial

Shakes the Clown — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:09:24 -0800

Looking for an old commercial - old lady and man, driving really slow in the country - the man is driving and she yells at him "you're driving like a bat out of hell!" Does anyone remember the company the commercial was for?

New relationship

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:39:13 -0800

New relationship filter - ex-semi-drama queen here, how do i keep this going, slow and steady and not rush in? I've known this guy for about 5 years. Realized I may have feelings for him about 1.5 years ago. Never said anything to him because we were developing a good friendship and did not want to screw anything up.

Some specifics: he's had one night stands, but never a real relationship. admits to not being very emotional, is a pretty stoic individual. our friendship was very healthy, talk on the phone once/week, hang out 1-2 times a month. both have our own sets of friends and lives going on.

me: i think he is extremely attractive and so smart. i have had 2 semi-relationships in the past (last one being 2 years ago) that were both filled with rushing in too fast, high drama, the works. a lot of it was my fault -- i was a late bloomer and didn't have any relationships till my 20s and when i was semi-in-one, i thought that the high hi's (crazy butterflies, infatuation) and the low low's (dramatic heartbreak) = passion = romance - tru luv.

i have grown up a lot since then, become less insecure and more confident, developed a life of my own, and now know that the drama queen crap is not attractive and serves a relationship no purpose. (like, for instance, if i asked my guy if he found so-and-so attractive and he did, i would sulk and be jealous-- clearly this was entirely dumb of me b/c he's just being truthful and i was totally being insecure, but at the time i would just be hurt and offended)

So, presently: i really dig this guy a lot. how do i not mess this up? esp. since he's never been in a relationship, but has indicated to me that he wants to be in one with me..... sometimes he won't be as emotional as i want him to be in his words, but i have kept my mouth shut, b/c i know it is hard for him and i know he is showing me his feelings through his actions (i.e. he so wouldn't be hanging with me right now if he wasn't in to me -- he's the kinda guy that just likes hanging out with the guys).

Tips for keeping a relationship simple? what i like about him is he is really about no drama, and will run the other way if i break out my old habits. i just feel so warm and comfortable around him. i just feel like there is potential for me to get frustrated since he may not know how to "act" in a relationship (although, not that my actions in the past were necessarily oscar-worthy)... and if i do get frustrated, how do i deal without being dramatic and high strung again--even though i may or am hurt?

sorry for the rambling.

Toilet works: slow flushing toilet

twistedmetal — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:42:38 -0800

My toilet is flushing slowly. Sometimes it takes 3+ flushes to completely remove waste. I have completely replaced all of the internals, and tried the CLR method. I have even manually cleared out the return / fill holes. It has helped some, but not enough. I think I need to use something stronger than CLR, like muriatic acid. The problem is I am on a septic tank and everything I read says do not use the muriatic acid method if you are on septic as it will kill all of the beneficial bacteria in the septic tank. So, my thoughts are to use the muriatic acid to clean out the bowl, but before the first flush, use baking soda to neutralize the acid as much as possible. Then flush. After about a week, add some RidX to help restore some of the lost bacteria and after another week or so, add another box of RidX. Is this a sound plan or should I abandon the muriatic acid idea completely?