# What is wrong with my computer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614 "2003-11-27T19:38:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/21 "2003-11-28T01:49:13Z")
YEah, as soon as I win the lottery. Thank you so much. I really do appreciate this. One thing-my homepage changed this morning-I normally have it set to the main Straight Dope page. I tried changing it to different sites, but later on, when I started my computer, it had changed again. Could that be related? (the SD totally crashes on IE-only so far have I been able to access [theforce.net](http://theforce.net)) ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/22 "2003-11-28T01:51:13Z")
Ok, try the I.E 6.0 update. With any luck, the update will install newer versions of whatever components are causing the trouble. If not, the next thing to try is completely removing IE and then downloading IE 6.0 and installing the whole thing fresh. Go [here](http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1e1550cb-5e5d-48f5-b02b-20b602228de6&displaylang=en) to download IE 6.0. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/23 "2003-11-28T01:53:27Z")
Oh yeah, also go to Tools\>Internet options. Click on Clear History, Delete Cookies and Delete Files. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/24 "2003-11-28T01:53:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > **One thing-my homepage changed this morning-I normally have it set to the main Straight Dope page. I tried changing it to different sites, but later on, when I started my computer, it had changed again. Could that be related?** This is a hallmark of several breeds of malware. If Adaware didn’t find anything, try running Spybot Search and Destroy. Do that before trying the IE 6.0 upgrade. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/25 "2003-11-28T02:04:45Z")
Ad Aware found about 159 files. Whether that was in there, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/26 "2003-11-28T02:06:42Z")
Reboot and see if your IE homepage stays where you put it. If it does, you’re good to go as far as _that_ goes. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/27 "2003-11-28T02:10:59Z")
I did after running AA and it stayed. I’ll do it again in an hour or so-after IE 6 finishes. BTW, you guys have NO idea how much I appreciate this-especially on Thanksgiving. (Right now, I’m depending on my computer for job searches and the like…) ---
**Author:** ![YourOldBuddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bc79bd/32.png) [@YourOldBuddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourOldBuddy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/28 "2003-11-28T03:04:18Z")
Use Opera? ---
**Author:** ![YourOldBuddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bc79bd/32.png) [@YourOldBuddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourOldBuddy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/29 "2003-11-28T03:07:22Z")
> **[Opera Web Browser | Faster, Safer, Smarter | Opera](https://www.opera.com)** > > Get a faster, better browser. Opera's free VPN, Ad Blocker, integrated messengers and private mode help you browse securely and smoothly. Share files instantly between your desktop and mobile browsers and experience web 3.0 with a free cryptowallet. ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/30 "2003-11-28T03:57:37Z")
> [@](#): > > especially on Thanksgiving. \<------------- Canuck 😃 Thanksgiving was last month already. This is no big deal **Guinastasia** … though you don’t quite believe it yet. This is absolutely fixable. You can’t go wrong with **Q.E.D.** …great advice. **hajario** too…except the comment about Windows ME. It’s a perfectly fine operating system. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/31 "2003-11-28T04:19:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Daizy \* > \*\*except the comment about Windows ME. It’s a perfectly fine operating system. \*\* Oh yeah, real great operating system…if you’re a big fan of SUCK! 😛 Sorry, I just despise ME, give me XP any day of the week, or 2000, it’s just as good, IMO. Hell, I’d take 98 over ME! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/32 "2003-11-28T04:25:27Z")
It worked! Installing version 6 works! The only remotely thing wrong is that my favorites takes a long time to load-maybe I should go through and prune it a bit! Seriously, I’m a computer dunce, and I’d LOVE to have a new one, but I just can’t do it right now. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/33 "2003-11-28T04:47:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Daizy \* > \*\* **hajario** too…except the comment about Windows ME. It’s a perfectly fine operating system. \*\* Glad you got it working, **Guin**. **Daizy** , I originally had ME on this very computer. The damn thing crashed once or twice a week. I never had that problem with Win95 that I had on the previous computer, NT4.0 and 2000 which I had on my computer at work and XP once I installed it on this computer. Haj ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/34 "2003-11-28T06:01:57Z")
Now that you’ve done the program hokey-pokey, click start\> programs\> accessories\> system tools\> scandisk and then defrag. Remember that a computer hard disk is kinda like a teenage girl’s bedroom-books, papers, underwear, and CD jewel cases everywhere. She can find stuff, but it takes a while. Defrag utility is like a patient Mother who puts everything back where it belongs, shortening the find process. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/35 "2003-11-28T06:02:57Z")
Like **hajario** said, Windows ME also gave me lots of problems. [sub]Need to come to GQ more often, but today I had to drive to the family reunion and I missed this thread.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/36 "2003-11-28T06:34:40Z")
I try to defrag every couple of months. Mods, yinz can close this, since it’s okay now. ---
**Author:** ![YourOldBuddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bc79bd/32.png) [@YourOldBuddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourOldBuddy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/37 "2003-11-28T12:51:12Z")
ME works for some. How many virgins did you have to sacrifice? ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614/38 "2003-11-28T14:38:29Z")
Congratulations **Guinastasia**!! If you’re finding things loading slowly, it may be that you have too many things loading at start up and will need to trim them from msconfig. Windows ME does love it’s resources, so any extra room you can give it to breathe, it appreciates. You can get to msconfig…by going to start…then run…then typing in msconfig. Click on the start up folder. You can use [this list](http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_all.php) to help show you what is safe to uncheck. Once you go through and uncheck the uneccessary apps from loading at start up…click apply…then ok. It will ask you to reboot. Do so. When it reboots, a dialogue box will be up on your desktop. Just put a checkmark in it and click ok. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-my-computer/215614.md?page=1)