John writes:

<<using Windows 98, it takes about 2
minutes for it to open the SAVE AS and/or the OPEN WITH windows, and it
ALWAYS disconnects me from the internet between the time I click on the
site to save or open , and when that window comes up. It used to open
immediately, like in 2 to 3 seconds.>>

1. Your query may not attract the attention you desire because of the
subject-line. You should be more specific in stating the exact nature of
your problem (eg "Save As and Open With boxes slow to open").

2. Too many programs running, or Hard Drive has insufficient space for
virtual memory to operate. Depending on your computer specs, W98 needs at
least 200 Mb free to run properly, 300 Mb is better.

3. In addition to the other excellent advice given, I'm wondering how long
it is since you did a registry restore or Windows re-install.  Most minor
glitches like this will be fixed by a registry restore. Depending on usage,
this needs to be done at least once a year, more often with heavy usage.

4. If you don't have a system of registry backups, maybe W98 is overdue for
a reinstall. Clutter accumulates over time, and this will eventually grind
things to a slow down or even a complete halt.
Try reinstalling over the top. If that doesn't help, you may need to delete
Windows completely and reinstall fresh. Save everything you might need
within the Windows folder---and don't forget that any files/folders on the
Desktop will be within the Windows folder.

5. I'm unclear from your letter whether this prob exists only when you are
on internet, or all the time.  If it is net-related, you don't mention that
you have run any spyware-deleting progs.  A friend of mine last week was
complaining that his web browsing was painfully slow. When I ran Spybot and
AdAware, we found over 150 spywares lurking on his hard drive, about 10 of
which were rated high danger.  With even a quarter of those all competing
for air time, seeking updates and transmitting goodness knows what out of
his computer, it's a wonder that anything was moving at all. He had no idea
that any of this was going on.

6. In any Explorer window, click on Help/About Windows. There you can read
the amount of free resources.
Ideally, this should be above 90% at startup, and never below 40% while
running programs or browsing. After operating for a while, this figure
would normally be around 60%. With W95/98, it may drop after running for a
few hours, depending on the health of your system.

A little trick you can use with W95/98 is to right click the Taskbar and
set it on autohide. When you hover the mouse over it, the Taskbar should
snap in and out instantly. If it is slow to respond, and looks as if it's
moving in treacle,  that is a quick and rough indicator that most other
operations will also be slow. A registry restore will nearly always get it
up to speed again, provided you have made a registry backup at a time when
the computer was in good shape.

Don Penlington
















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