PS: Mikie (on Computer Help) told me to download the latest Firefox, then uninstall it, then restart and install it again. What do you think of that move?

I would do nothing till I tried to use the CC back up if it made one and if not do a system restore. Are you using xp or 7 the instructions are different for them.

in case it is xp you would go to start, all programs, accessories, system tools, system restore select it then it will present you with the option of creating a restore point or using a previous you want to use a previous, you will see a chart with dates where system restore points are available to choose from, if you need to go to an earlier month up at the top of the calendar there are little arrows to go back or move forward month by month. select one of the dates that are available from the list that would be before you installed ccleaner and made those changes, then tell it to do the system restore, it will reboot and take a while just leave it be. Once it is completed check to see if that helped.

I'm using Windows 7.

I just started up Internet Explorer, which I never use, and was able to load MSNBC and Facebook immediately. Does this change the game plan in any way?

Since I have never used the registry cleaner part of ccleaner I have no personal experience in how to do the back up so I looked around and this was the best answer to that question I could find.

""ccleaner will ask you if you would like to backup the registry or not before he does the fixing".

If you click yes it will ask you where you want to save it.When ever i save something i always save it in my documents.In this case i would name it CCBACKUP or something to that affect.For me its easy to find,i just click on my documents on the desktop.Now in my documents where i saved the backup there will be an icon named CCBACKUP,clickon it and you wil see that you export it back to the registry.

NOTE:ccleaner does not backup the entire registry,only what you chose to fix."

now if you can not find your back up file or do not recall where you might have had it stored then go ahead and just do your windows system restore and hopefully it will restore everything back to before you installed ccleaner.

for those interested here is a basic tutorial on ccleaner.
How to use CCleaner to keep your Computer clean [PC Maintenance]

What I use instead is ATF cleaner it has no registry options and is very safe.
ATF-Cleaner.

How to Do a System Restore in Windows 7

no I would still try to get everything fixed, then if you still have issues we can try a reinstall of your firefox.

Raven, It looks like ATF doesn't work with Windows 7 according to the link. Do you know if there's another link that does?

I believe that it does however I know that it does not show for 7, I will check for you.

Okay as I thought you can use ATF just fine on windows vista and 7 on both 32 and 64 bit. So any windows version.

Another safe program for all versions is TFC by oldtimer
With it be sure to shut down all programs and close browser prior to running.

Here is a link that might be useful: TFC

Good heavens! What a mess! I'm not going to get into the middle of trying to correct your problem, Susan, but there are a few maintenance exercises that everyone should know/remember to do when their systems start to slow down.

#1 Defrag your system if you haven't done it in a while. This simple maintenance act can make a world of difference.

#2 Go to Administrative Tools > System Configuration > Start Up and see how many items are listed to load when your system starts up. For the most part...you don't need anything that's listed there but for peace of mind...leave anything labeled Microsoft, Intel and any malware programs checked. Uncheck the rest and restart. Not to fear! Your printer and other items will start upon your demand. You haven't lost them.

and.....

#3 Go to System (C:) > Properties > Tools > Error Checking and check "Auto Fix Files" and Start. Then "Restart" your system and sit back while your system automatically goes through its error checking. Don't move your mouse or attempt anything until the program has run its course. It will power off and return to your sign-in screen. Any file errors or misplaced files will be corrected during this scan and it will give your system a good dose of Gerasol.

I numbered these exercises but they can be done individually or in any order. Utilizing them will help to keep your system healthy and happy...without the need for programs like CCleaner. It's been my experience that it's better to use the tools that your system provides than it is to shop around for something else. And...if you're using Win 7, 64 bit...familiarize yourself with the Control Panel items. Win 7 is the most user friendly system I've seen in a long time and the computer gurus made it easy to maintain it if you take the time to learn about the tools it offers.

Anne

Crap. I just did the System Restore, using yesterday, 1:00 a.m. as the date, and the problem remains. CCleaner remains, too, on my list of programs. I thought the Restore might uninstall it.

As before, Explorer loads the graphics-heavy pages just fine; Firefox does not. What now, Coach?

Anne, I'll save those tips--thank you.

Did the other stuff that disappeared return? Did you definitely go back far enough?
Go ahead and delete firefox reboot then reinstall. It should keep all your settings and stuff, if by chance it is a corrupt profile it may require a new one.
I don't know if you use xmarks to save your favorites list if not I would either add it and save them, or make a copy of your favorites file beforehand so there is no chance of losing your favorites list. I personally use xmarks and love it. To copy your file go to bookmarks, organize, and a the top there is an option to import or export, choose export and save the file to your hard drive where you can find it if you need it.

,xmarks is a firefox add on so can be found on that site or on xmarks.com

Yes, the other stuff (lists of recently used files) reappeared in Word and Excel. I went back about 35 hours prior to installing CC.

I'll go find xmarks and check it out. I'm babysitting this morning, so I'll probably operate on the computer this afternoon.

Thanks again, Raven. I'm in good hands!

I will be checking your progress keep me posted..

Disappointing results. I uninstalled Firefox, then downloaded it from their website. Nothing's changed . . . same problem loading graphics-heavy pages.

Plus I almost couldn't get to the Kitchen Table using Explorer this time. Twice I got a message reading There has been an error. Method "GET" not implemented. I succeeded in connecting on the third try.

When I uninstalled Firefox I didn't see CC on the list of programs. But it's still on the list that appears when I click Start.

Had you located the cc back up file and tried to restore it?

I would also like you to run an updated malwarebytes scan just to make sure we are not dealing with some malware related issues.
It is free, just download the free version not the pay, update it and run a full scan, let me know what it finds, follow the instructions for removal and reboot

Here is a link that might be useful: Malwarebytes free

I just went to CH and read the original post you put there, you mentioned that you had closed firefox then later went to open it again and it gave the message it was a new one, any time firefox gives a message indicating that it is using a different instance, always x out of that message and immediately open your task manager and find firefox in the list of running processes and end task on it. If you do not do that you will be using a different profile and it will mess things up. This may be the problem you may have an additional profile now.

This link should help you find out what you have as your profile, check the manage profiles area if you have more than your one default then that could be the problem, unless you have purposely created additional ones, I would delete all but the original default profile.
Let me know all results.

Here is a link that might be useful: Profile information

One good thing about Windows 7 is there's a functional System Restore feature. Prior versions were essentially worthless. If you go to a restore point prior to the installation, it will remove Ccleaner, however I don't think Ccleaner is your issue. Firefox is the suspect here and Firefox has been problematic for a long time. Actually if you go back to before your slow issues started, it could well resolve the issue, however all updates will probably have to be done again.

If you still have it on there, you didn't go back far enough on your restore point.

You choose the settings in Ccleaner on what you want it to do, including cleaning out the history. For the slow browsing, have you tried a different browser, like Opera, K-meleon or Chrome or just noting the slowness of Firefox?

Ccleaner is a safe and relatively innocuous program. It does not deep clean the registry like many fear. However, like anything else, you have to pay attention to what you're doing, look at your selections and that will make a difference in the results.

linda_in_iowa, here's a link to Ccleaner

Cynic, I haven't tried the browsers you mentioned. Explorer is on my PC, of course, so I've been using that. Speed seemed normal until I had the experience I mentioned in my last post. As I wrote above, the restore point I selected was more than 24 hours before I downloaded CCleaner.

Raven, I had Malwarebytes on my computer, and did a full scan. Nothing was found.

I followed the link to open up my Firefox profile, but I'm not sure I understand the result. It's a long list of documents and files, starting with adblockplus and ending with xpti.dat (Video CD Movie). I don't know how to interpret this, but I can type the list if it would be useful to you.

I'm surprised to see Chrome and Chromeappstore on the list. Does it have something to do with Firefox? I've never downloaded Chrome to my knowledge. Or maybe this is a different Chrome.

what we need to know from the profile area I linked you to is how many profiles it shows you have.
If you go to:
C:\Documents and Settings\*USER*\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox

And look in the "Profiles" directory, you will see profiles, how many are there? the one that is the largest should be your original default one and it should be the only one, do you have more than one? you can also check the dates for them.

That is why I said read the part about manage your profiles. If you have more than your one default profile that can possibly be your problem. If it turns out your default profile is corrupt you will have to delete and then re install firefox and have it create a new default profile.

Which version of fire fox are you using?

I'm sorry to be so dense, Raven. I have the window in front of me that you describe.....after Mozilla and Firefox comes Profiles, and under that it says 3x05onne.default.

If I click on the arrow in front of Profiles, and then click on 3x05onne.default, I get that long list I mentioned.

The Firefox version is 10 (and a decimal I don't recall).

Meanwhile, I hate to say it, but Explorer isn't doing all that well either. It was unable to connect me to this forum, and I couldn't get on a couple of other sites. Facebook and MSNBC are still accessible on Explorer.

I still don't think this is just a firefox problem.
On your windows 7 there is an option to find any errors and fix them, let's check to see if it says you have any.
It is down by the clock it could be hidden click on the arrow to show the hidden icons, mouse over them for the one that looks like a flag and says solve pc issues. Do that.

Okay, got it. I clicked on Messages and read that Microsoft Security Essentials is out of date (I guess I should click Update now?) and Windows cannot find the location where my backups are being saved. A backup was attempted last night.

There's an option called Check for solutions to unreported problems. Should I click on that?

Yes is that all it mentioned?

The only other thing it mentioned is that Microsoft Office system software stopped working once, in June 2011. "Your computer might be missing updates that can help improve its stability and security."

I always download the Microsoft updates whenever I'm alerted.

I clicked on Check for Solutions (as above), and it's checking.

I think the next step is to try a Microsoft fixit
Go to the post by Corrine, who is a Microsoft MVP, and follow her directions for using the fixit.

I am on that forum too, we may have to go over there if we need more help with this.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fixit

Okay, I'll do that. I just wanted to mention that the Check for Solutions found two problems (no details available) and tried to access additional information that was needed to solve them. But that didn't work. The message said "Problem connecting to Windows Error Reporting Service. Some of the reports could not be uploaded. Please try again later."

I'll go to the Fixit thread now. Thanks!

I wouldn't blame you if you threw up your hands at this point. From the Fixit screen I first ran the program for fixing Windows system problems. It detected that the power plan was set to Power Saver, which can affect performance, and changed it to Balanced. This did not affect the problem.

So then I ran the program that fixes problems with Internet Explorer. It disabled RealPlayer, but that, too, didn't solve the problem.

Surprise! I just loaded Facebook on Firefox. It still won't load the graphics on MSNBC, nor load the game of Scrabble on Pogo (it loads only the sound effects), but seeing Facebook is progress of sorts, I guess.

Good we can work on more tomorrow! I am glad something went right.

I am no computer expert but I was having trouble after one FF update, mostly freezing. Finally I "disabled" Java under Tools, add-ons on FF. It stopped my problems. I have continued to up date FF but I say no to update Java.

Funny you should mention Java when I was just thinking about Flash.

Raven, here's an additional piece of information that I hope might help. You asked if the Action Center said anything else. At the time, it did not. But I went back and took another look at it, and this time it said a Mozilla plug-in container stopped working 15 times. It suggested going online to the Mozilla Knowledge Base for more details.

I clicked on the link, and it took me to a page on Firefox Plug-In Crash Reports. The example they use is an Adobe Flash crash. They show a sample error message that mentions Adobe Flash. I haven't received an error message like that, BUT I remembered that after downloading CCleaner I got a message saying Adobe Flash needed to be upgraded. This is pretty standard, so I downloaded the update.

After we did the Restore System, I got the same message from Adobe, and I (stupidly?) upgraded again. I'm thinking this could possibly be the problem........?

I did more reading this morning. The Mozilla Plug-Ins check page says Shockwave Flash is up to date (is that the same as Adobe Flash?), as is Windows Media Player, but the following plug-ins need to be updated:

Silverlight
Java Deployment Toolkit
Java Platform
RealPlayer (2 versions)
QuickTime

It doesn't mention Adobe Flash, but I know that's what I updated this week. A different Mozilla article says that the latest version of Adobe Flash is less likely to crash than the others. But I wonder if I made a mistake by upgrading, and what, if anything, I should do about it. Thanks!

Sue, I just rechecked my "add ons" and I have all of them "disabled". Everything I do seems to work okay and I did a least 2 months ago.

Eandhl, after reading your post I just disabled all of mine. Unfortunately, it didn't solve the problem. So I enabled them all again.

I looked up Adobe Flash troubleshooting, and went to this site, which appears to be part of Adobe. It recommends going to the Flash Player Settings Manager and deleting "all local storage, saved choices, settings, and other data used by content in Flash Player across all browsers on this computer."

I'm reluctant to do that without checking it out first with those more knowledgeable than I. For one thing, I don't know for certain that Flash is the source of the problem.

Sticking my nose in again. I can't find any mention of how big your hard drive is/was when you first loaded Win 7. Did you start with 500 GB?...or less? If it was less than 500 GB...your slowness may be due to a lack of available memory and all this chasing around you're doing might be avoidable if you do one or two things. Add more memory to your system...or...transfer the memory hogs to a backup disk...freeing up some of your RAM.

I started with 500 GB [actually 466 GB] and I know I don't have half of what you mentioned on your system on mine. To date...I have about 346 GB of available space. I back-up to a removable hard drive...store little to no photos on my system...keep my writing on a disk...only have one outside malware protection program...and I use IE8 because my bank won't accept anything higher. ;-)

See where I'm going with this? It pains me to see you going through all of what you've gone through...but by the time you're done...you'll know a lot more about your computer system than you ever imagined...or perhaps wanted to know. Despite the current aggravation...that's not a bad thing even though I'm sure you're at the point of tearing your hair out at its roots. Been there...done that...many moons ago. ;-)

Anne

I think possibly the ccleaner did remove some of the items you needed remember when you said you saw it mention adobe and silverlight?

go here run the secuina scan and see what it tells you needs to be updated it will check your java and flash and all of that then any that need updating go ahead and do them. For flash you MUST do it for both browsers you go to the update page using the browser you are updating so for IE you go to the IE flash update and get it then go to the NON ie flash update while using firefox, each one has to be done individually for flash I can give you those links if you need me to. go to the secunia scan.

Secunia Online Software Inspector (OSI)

I think my hard drive is 700 or 750GB, something like that. I just looked, and I have 588GB of available space. And 8GB of RAM, which should be ample, I would think.

Yes, I'll know a lot more, Anne . . . but will I remember it? :-)

Oh...you've got plenty of space. It was just a thought.

Yes, I'll know a lot more, Anne . . . but will I remember it? :-)

LOL Yuh...you will...especially if you get it back up and running the way you like it. If nothing else...you'll remember what NOT to do. That, in itself, is an invaluable lesson when it comes to computers.

I used to be an avid proponent of CCleaner until it became a memory hog and kept trying to improve upon perfection. When I loaded Win 7...I didn't reload CCleaner and I haven't regretted that decision for a moment. Unless you have multiple users on your system...or you like to walk on the wild side...MS Security Essentials and the paid version of Malwarebytes are about all you'll ever need to keep your system safe and sound...as long as you keep them updated on a daily basis...and you can set them both to auto update just as you can with Windows itself. Do a little house cleaning on a regular basis like I suggested up above...and you should have a very happy system...so you can start looking at seed catalogs for your garden this year. It's amazing what a few balmy days can do to one at this time of year. ;-)

Anne

I did the Secunia scan......results didn't mention Flash, but said the following were outdated: RealPlayer, Java, and QuickTime.

I updated Java and QuickTime, and since part of the QT installation was to close the browser, I went back afterwards and did another Secunia scan to make sure I didn't miss anything besides RealPlayer. I discovered that Java is still listed as out of date and insecure.

I thought I might have been confusing the two Java programs, so I downloaded the update on this one. When I tried to run the installation file, I got a message that it was already installed on my computer. So I wonder why Secunia is picking up the out-of-date version?

I did all this via Firefox. I'm not sure I understand what I'm supposed to do for IE. Thanks, Raven!

PS: Updating Java and QuickTime had no effect on the problem. I guess I'll update RealPlayer, but I'll be surprised if that helps.

open Ie and go here and do this flash update
Flash Player 11.2.202.221 RC 1 (IE)

close Ie

open firefox go with firefox and do this update
Flash Player 11.2.202.221 RC 1 (Non-IE)

then go to control panel double click on java click the update tab, check for updates be sure to watch each screen and uncheck any thing that they try to add in like toolbars you only want the java updates.

If you have adobe reader on your pc open the reader click on updates check for updates.

you probably have old versions of java stored on your pc, to clear out all the old dangerous ones you need to run java ra.
JavaRa
it will remove all the old versions that are still on your system and that secunia is seeing.

Okay.....I did both updates, and then I ran JavaRa and removed all old versions.

But then I went to the Mozilla Plugin Check Page, and saw that it still listed my Java as old and outdated. So I said okay, and I clicked Update--whereupon we went through the installation process again. However, the previous time I selected the 64-bit version because that's what my computer is, and this time I chose the 32-bit version. Now Mozilla says all my plug-ins are current and secure.

Of course, I still can't load MSNBC and assorted other sites with Firefox. :-/

Since we've made all these changes, do you think it would help if I uninstalled and reinstalled Firefox?

yes I would try that again and make sure it is the latest version since they make changes so often.

When I went to uninstall Firefox, I noticed that I have two versions of Adobe Flash: the 64-bit one installed two days ago and the other installed today. Same for the ActiveX. Should I uninstall the 64-bit versions, maybe?

And when I uninstall Firefox, should I check the box that says Remove my Firefox personal data and customizations?

I meant to mention above that the JavaRa "found and removed" list was very long!

Yes java just recently started removing the old ones when it updated so if you have not been doing it yourself there would be several, but it is extremely important to have the old versions removed because as long as they are on the pc you are open to infection through those security flaws.

Leave everything as is with firefox .no you do not want to remove your customization or data,you want it to keep all your settings.

The problem remains. This is crazy! You deserve a medal for your patience (and knowledge), Raven.

Would you be willing to go to another forum I am on where we have a large team of Microsoft MVPs that can brainstorm and have you run some special scans ?

Yes, sure, if you think that would be a good idea. Maybe tomorrow? I'm feeling a little cross-eyed. (You probably are, too.) Just tell me where to go. (So to speak. LOL)

ok great just go ahead and register there today so we can get that done and out of the way. go here and register you will get an email back confirming then I will start a post for you there and we can go from there.

I will post your thread in the area labeled computer problems, questions and solutions. I have already notified the team there so we will be looking for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: LzD

Thanks, Raven. I registered with the screen name Susan. Alisande was taken, but Susan wasn't. Go figure.

oh I bet they had already set it up for you LOL
ok did you find your thread? it is titled thread for Alisande. in the area I told you. Winchester has asked for you to run some special scans when you have time and if you need any help or guidance just ask us there the team is great.