This might be easy for some of you, but not me.

About 6 wks ago, I had an IT guy sort out my puter as it was running very slow. I don't know what he did, but there was a real improvment. He told me not to fiddle with or clic on anything whilst it was running OK.

Whilst general surfing, I came across someone's recommendation to speed up the system, I clicked on it and I think it had an effect. I cannot remember where I saw it, but think it might be on Web user.

Currently I am having a few issues, so much so that I've done a system restore to the date the IT had finished and I think there is an improvement. BUT, one thing that is happening very frequently is that I'm getting "timed out" after about ten seconds on many of my usual favourite pages. On the webuser site, each link I go to only the red bar with their logo appears whilst the blue scroll bar at the bottom shoots across then stops within an eigth of an inch and waits ages.

I'm viewing from IE to FF to see if either is better and I'm on XP.

Maybe there is an easy solution, maybe not, what do you think?

This sounds like what is a DNS issue, i.e. where a website name is converted to the IP address the web browser will use internally.

Have you come across tools like ping and tracert before?

Rule Number 1,276 - never click on a link unless you know exactly what you're getting into.

tri-hard, I now appreciate this.

Andrew, someone gave me a link on MSE and it is http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/showthre...mber=269924 4

Last night, the slowness etc, cleared up and I whizzed round effortlessly. I disconnected and repeated the process again untroubled. I have no idea what ping etc are.

If it went away then it suggests it is your ISP that is the issue or the ADSL connection, rather than anything you have done on the PC.

http://usertools.plus.net/tutorials/id/34 may help to explain about ping a bit more

If you take bits out of a link it stops working .

If you type [url=the link]one or more words[/url] it gives a short link like a link to your opening post.

It would be useful if you tell us your ISP please .

It is talktalk. NO, don't laugh. Other than my initial wait when they launched FREE BROADBAND FOREVER, I have enjoyed (dare I say it) a trouble free period. I'm aware that there are still users of this service that have reason to complain, but I honestly believe I am not in the minority any more and they have or appear to have got things organised now.

My bro is on Talk Talk International 3 and pleased as punch with it.

Re the actual problem not a lot to say at the moment unless it comes back. Then it would basically be a question of talking to them as most of the standard things to look at are to do with the BT IPStream service that normal up to 8Mb ISPs offer.

It might be worth having a look at this though. It could improve things generally.