Internet Explorer version 8

[BonzaiDuck]

There are some minor, even improbable reasons, that I would have difficulties with my web-connection (yesterday and today). Certainly, the ISP has occasional "maintenance," and there are troubles "in my area" with connections -- occasionally -- very, very occasionally.

It seems that the slowdowns and hangups began occurring after I updated to Internet Explorer 8. I've seen some complaints by others, but didn't read them, thinking that it was "working fine" for me.

Anybody else? I heard that Microsoft laid off their "Flight Simulator" staff. I'm wondering if they shorted their Internet Explorer development team, too. . . .

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I didn't post these two threads on purpose: I got frustrated with IE8 sluggishness, thought the window for posting was "locked up," probably hit the mouse button a couple times.

 

[AnnonUSA]

Wait! IE was developed by a TEAM? Your kidding right?

 

[wrangler]

Mine "hangs".

Just for a second when I open a new window, like it's thinking about what to do next, or searching to see if it has a connection, but it does indeed hang. Once it's open it acts normally. Wasn't doing it before and this is with my Windows XP laptop. Haven't noticed it on my Win 7 box.

This is on a clean, well defragged system.....no adware etc. etc.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: BonzaiDuck
I didn't post these two threads on purpose: I got frustrated with IE8 sluggishness, thought the window for posting was "locked up," probably hit the mouse button a couple times.

I just posted a long-winded message in this thread...

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=34&threadid=2308534

Extra credit reading... if you make it all the way through!

EDIT: Hell, I'll just post it here too. What difference does it make...

Originally posted by: VinDSL
Patooey! I spit on IE8...

I installed IE8 beta on my Vista lappy, about 6 months ago - and it was horrible! I left it on my machine, because I don't use IE anyway (except for WU) but I felt bad that it was sitting there in the background like a ticking time-bomb.

As fate would have it, there was a major security update to Vista a couple of months later, and Windows gave me a warning that I couldn't run the update unless I un-installed IE8 beta first, sooo... that's what I did. I gleefully un-installed IE8, with a sigh of relief, and never looked back, until...

Last month (May), a friend of mine was having problems with her high-dollar, 64-bit Vista, HP lappy. She couldn't connect into any secure links (HTTPS, SFTP, SSH, et cetera) nor log into anything that required a username & password (Email, IM, blogs, forums, whatever). Nobody could figure out what the problem was, let alone the cure. Google Search offered up no clues either. She asked me if I would look at it. Turned out to be some remnants of the Norton AV crapware that HP had pre-loaded on her machine. It also had numerous trojans, pups, spyware, adware, et cetera, that needed to be removed, but Norton was the major culp!

Anyway, after I got rid of the Norton AV cruft (was like removing a damn virus) and I cleaned and disinfected her lappy, I performed all the MS updates including IE8 - figured they had the IE8 bugs sorted out by now. WRONG!!!

OMG, after I installed IE8, her 64-bit lappy was crawling. I thought it was my imagination, at first - seeing as how I just worked on her lappy for 14 hours straight - and I was a little laggy myself.

After I got some sleep, and booted up her lappy in the morn, it was obvious something was seriously wrong, so I rolled back the IE8 install, and her lappy immediately started to fly!

As an aside, I just updated my own Vista lappy install to SP2 - worked great - but, my biggest fear was that SP2 might install IE8 on my lappy (again). Luckily, SP2 left IE7 intact. Whew!

So, I feel your pain! And, I'll tell you what...

I'm not that hot on 7 anyway. If you're forced to run IE8, that'll be a deal-breaker for me... :|

Thanks for starting this thread - it's the first I've heard of this - plus it's nice to know that my IE8 problems are a 'shared' experience! :beer:

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: BonzaiDuck
There are some minor, even improbable reasons, that I would have difficulties with my web-connection (yesterday and today). Certainly, the ISP has occasional "maintenance," and there are troubles "in my area" with connections -- occasionally -- very, very occasionally.

It seems that the slowdowns and hangups began occurring after I updated to Internet Explorer 8. I've seen some complaints by others, but didn't read them, thinking that it was "working fine" for me.

Anybody else? I heard that Microsoft laid off their "Flight Simulator" staff. I'm wondering if they shorted their Internet Explorer development team, too. . . .

Do you happen to have Spybot Search & Destroy installed? If so, try un-immunizing and see if your issue is resolved. There were some reports that Spybot S&D's immunization technique was causing substantial IE8 slowness. Easy to test for...


For the record, I have three computers with IE8 and maintain a couple more besides. No major issues with the release version (the beta was a different story). From a security standpoint, IE8 has some enhancements to offer, and should therefore be used if possible.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: BonzaiDuck
There are some minor, even improbable reasons, that I would have difficulties with my web-connection (yesterday and today). Certainly, the ISP has occasional "maintenance," and there are troubles "in my area" with connections -- occasionally -- very, very occasionally.

It seems that the slowdowns and hangups began occurring after I updated to Internet Explorer 8. I've seen some complaints by others, but didn't read them, thinking that it was "working fine" for me.

Anybody else? I heard that Microsoft laid off their "Flight Simulator" staff. I'm wondering if they shorted their Internet Explorer development team, too. . . .

Do you happen to have Spybot Search & Destroy installed? If so, try un-immunizing and see if your issue is resolved. There were some reports that Spybot S&D's immunization technique was causing substantial IE8 slowness. Easy to test for...


For the record, I have three computers with IE8 and maintain a couple more besides. No major issues with the release version (the beta was a different story). From a security standpoint, IE8 has some enhancements to offer, and should therefore be used if possible.

I have another system which is VISTA 64, and I can't remember whether it updated to IE8 -- I think it done so. I've been very careful over the "protection" overkill obsession. I've seen people install two firewall programs, or two AV programs. I told my brother that Spybot added to an AV package that managed spyware was a no-no.

I may have to plod through an inventory of installed software. The long and the short of it: This XP machine is my "main business" platform. I'm going to move all the data files to the VISTA 64 system. After testing Windows 7 on a third machine, (64-bit version), I'm convinced I want to let (32-bit) XP die.

I'm guessing that my dated hardware ( a Kentsfield B3-stepping) on the "main machine" will be a lot snappier under a 64-bit OS, but it will have to wait for the Windows 7 release -- especially under those "Best Buy" pre-sale prices . . .

Kaspersky has growing pains just like any other. I dropped Norton when it sucked big-time -- that was more than 5 years ago. I'm due for either a license renewal to KIS 2009, or a new license by July 8. I might as well get it done now and see if things just "get better." At least Kaspersky allows for a clean uninstall -- and doesn't leave Norton-cruft as mentioned by VinDSL and experienced in bygone years firsthand by yours-truly . . .

 

[BonzaiDuck]

UPDATE:

I have a question for anyone who upgraded to v.8 of IE:

"When you first bring it up, (or periodically), it has an interactive window for "initial settings." There is an "Express" option and a "Custom" option, and it offers buttons for "Next" and "Ask me later." How many folks -- who just want to do their routine web-browsing without further ado -- select 'Ask me later'?"

It goes against my "advanced enthusiast" brain, but I picked "Express" and "Next."

Suddenly, everything seems back to normal . . . .

So I'm wondering about those who continued to defer with "Ask me later" -- whether they all saw the "laggy" behavior heretofore described by myself and others . . . .

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: BonzaiDuck
UPDATE:

I have a question for anyone who upgraded to v.8 of IE:

"When you first bring it up, (or periodically), it has an interactive window for "initial settings." There is an "Express" option and a "Custom" option, and it offers buttons for "Next" and "Ask me later." How many folks -- who just want to do their routine web-browsing without further ado -- select 'Ask me later'?"

It goes against my "advanced enthusiast" brain, but I picked "Express" and "Next."

Suddenly, everything seems back to normal . . . .

So I'm wondering about those who continued to defer with "Ask me later" -- whether they all saw the "laggy" behavior heretofore described by myself and others . . . .

I didn't use the Express settings and I don't seem to have any lag problems, neither at home nor at work, unless there's something wrong with the site's servers. But that's not a browser issue.