Very Slow Loading Forum Pages!?

[meeshu]

More often than not, when I visit this forum, it often takes literally up to 2 or 3 minutes to load pages!? This includes main page and topic specific pages.

Although I'm on a dial-up connection which doesn't help, and with the exception of another similar forum where pages load very slowly as well, I can load pages of most other websites relatively quickly (depending on webpage size/content).

On monitoring data sent/received to this forum, data may not be received immediately. There is usually a LONG pause before data is received. And there would be another LONG pause before further data is received. This start and stop of data reception seems to go on for literally 2 to 3 minutes before pages are fully loaded.

Even submitting new threads and replying to existing threads can take awhile before there is a response from this server.

EDIT: Browser cookies and cache have been deleted/cleared, and system DNS has also been flushed, with no apparent improvement in page loading times.

Is there an issue with this forums server?

Is there anything that can be done to improve speed of access to forum pages?

EDIT: AS of today, November 27, delays are getting worse over the past few days to about 5 minutes now before the main page loads!?

 

[meeshu]

Still having major delays to pages loading!

Even having trouble logging in! Usually what happens is - trying to log in to respond to a post, there would be a delay of maybe a minute or so when nothing seems to happen, then the main page loads instead and I'm not actually logged in!? So I have to log in AGAIN from the main page, and then I eventually manage to become logged in.

Responding to posts quite often does not work. My response usually does not appear (after a delay of several minutes or so before page reloads). So I often have to retype my response and try again to reply.

By observation, it seems my response to a post shortly after opening/viewing the post/thread usually shows up fairly quickly, no problems! However. If there is some delay (of a minute or more) before trying to reply to a post then there is a long delay of maybe several minutes before the page reloads and my reply usually does not appear!? Even after refreshing the page (which again may take a minute or more before anything is displayed) my response is not shown!?

There is definitely some issues with browsing this website (and a couple of other similar sites).

Again, I'm on a dial-up connection which doesn't help. But just clarifying that during the long delays while waiting for pages to (re)load, very little if any data is actually being transferred, maybe only a few bytes per second, well below the usual 5 kilo bytes per second.

Seems to happen regardless of browser used (use Opera, Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer). Cleared browser cache and cookies. Flushed DNS. Ran anti-malware and anti-adware programs but very little or nothing of concern found.

Why the long delays in (re)loading pages of this (and a couple of other sites)?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Are you using Linux? Which distro?

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I seem to be experiencing the same thing. I'm on an Android phone using Chrome as my mobile browser. I'm connected to a hospital Wi-Fi hotspot.

Often times, as I sit and wait for the page to load, I'll give up and hit stop, at which point the page just suddenly appears. Most times it is whole, from what I've seen, although occasionally only a partial page appears.

I really don't think it's me because I visit several other VBB forums and don't have any issues.

 

[JFP]

We (Purch) are looking into this issue. My initial conclusion is that we need to upgrade the hardware the site is running on. In any event, I promise we'll improve the page speed over time.

 

[Ketchup]

I am wondering if this has more to do with one of the hops to get to your location, rather than the forum itself. The Heads, of course, would know more about this.

I can't remember the last time that the forums have been extremely slow for me. It has been months, if not over a year. I honesty almost never run into issues like this, so I can't help but think that other things are at play.

 

[meeshu]

Sorry for late response.

Running Windows 7 x64 SP1.

Broadband is available here but is currently not affordable, so I'm stuck with dial-up for the moment.

The slow loading of web pages for this site and a few other sites, seems to vary in speed. For example, earlier today, pages loaded quickly, within 20 ~ 30 seconds, but now it is taking 2 or 3 minutes to load pages.

I'm not sure the slow web page loading is entirely due to the number of server hops, as most other website pages at similar locations seem to load relatively quickly. That suggests the issues are specific to certain websites.

After a very recent conversation with a computer consultant, it was suggested that most websites/servers are (more) optimized for broadband connection. The dial-up connections wouldn't transfer data fast enough (particularly for background data and advertisements), so the broadband website/server either stops or slows data transfer (momentarily) to dial-up connections to give priority to broadband connections and then resumes data transfer to dial-up connections when priorities allow.

Had trouble replying to this thread! First attempt at posting just came up with blank screen. Had to use browser back key and re-submit reply. Page took ~ 2 minutes to load.

 

[VirtualLarry]

First thing I would do, is install Firefox, NoScript, and an ad-blocker. then I would go into the Firefox settings, and limit the number of concurrent connections, and disable page prefetching.

 

[meeshu]

Thanks for that!

Firefox is my principal browser. I've made suggested changes. At this time it is still a bit early to say what improvements in speed of loading web pages are while using Firefox, but I'll update as needed.

There is still the underlying delay of loading some website pages, as the delays occur regardless of browser used.

 

[Dude111]

First thing I would do, is install Firefox, NoScript

I have tried suggesting to ppl to disable scripts and @ least 1 person said it didnt make any difference for them (Thankfully the site is quite fast for me (Scripts disabled))

 

[meeshu]

Using Firefox, unfortunately there are still substantial delays to loading some web pages despite making suggested Firefox setting adjustments!

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Major issues with replying to conversations on standard web format.

Huge delays, 10-45 seconds.

 

[Meghan54]

yui.yahooapis.com is the problem. Something from the yahoo developer crap.....tracker probably.

 

[Elixer]

Yeah, things are slow loading... doesn't matter what forum section, this is global.
Tried different browsers, no difference.

 

[riahc3]

I'm on a dial-up connection

:\

 

[mmntech]

I noticed this today. ATOT has been loading slow this afternoon and the search function is just crawling for me. Other sites are loading fine.

 

[shortylickens]

Happening again right now.


VERY slow page loads. every page, not just the Nef thread.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yep, 30sec+ page loads, even on my Win7 boxen.

 

[sandorski]

Same happening to me today, seems Ad related.

 

[DrMrLordX]

yui.yahooapis.com is the problem. Something from the yahoo developer crap.....tracker probably.

Same problem on my end. I find that I often have to stop the page load and reload it to break through the logjam.

Using WaterFox 34.0.1 under Windows 10 and FireFox . . . 35 I guess? Under Lubuntu.

So long as I don't get hung up on yahooapis, I'm usually okay.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I get this randomly. If I click a link often enough eventually it will go through and when it does load it's fast, but sometimes it will just hang and not load at all.

 

[DrMrLordX]

I am sorry to report that this issue is still cropping up from time to time. In fact, I'm having it only with particular parts of the board, or sometimes with particular posts/threads, based on what ads the thread is trying to serve to my screen.

Right now I have a post preview locked in limbo because the browser is waiting for aax-amazon-adsystem.com before it can display the preview to my screen.

 

[Ketchup]

Very slow for me all afternoon. Most of it is just waiting on forum.anandtech, some is waiting on metrics.toptenreviews.com.