External links take long to load [SOLVED]

[grimley]

Here's one that has me stumped: external links in email messages, in software windows, etc. take about 30 seconds to cold start my browser and / or open a new tab if the browser is open.

Fresh Windows 10 install (post October Creators' Update).
16 GB memory - i5-8400 CPU - fast system. 
Chrome installed as default browser.
Same slow behavior with Internet Explorer when it is selected as default.
When a link is clicked in an Outlook message (Office 365), a "program working dot chase" can be seen at the very top of the message, under the ribbon. 
(Tweaking util installed after this behavior was detected - speed tweaks applied; no change.)

Any ideas?
Thanks.

[Boggin]

Can you right click on the taskbar and open Task Manager to see if anything is hogging the CPU.

Click on CPU and that will sort to highest user first - you can do the same for Memory to see which is hogging the memory if that is high as well.

If it's a service host under the CPU then right click on it and select Go to details then right click on what has been highlighted and select Go to services where the culprit will be highlighted.

Slow opening of links can sometimes be resolved by opening a Command Prompt (Admin) and entering -

netsh winsock reset

shutdown /r /t 00

Then see what things are like after the reboot.

I don't know Outlook or Office 365 but in Programs and Features you can usually right click on MS programs and select Repair which may resolve for that.

Go Start - type appwiz.cpl and press enter and that will take you to Programs and Features.

[grimley]

Thank you for the reply.

Nothing hogging the CPU and no unusual service activity (per the resource monitor). The delay is consistent: about 30 seconds. Persists after Winsock reset and in safe mode - regardless of browser set as default and origin of external link (email, software window, etc.). An Outlook repair has been attempted as well.

Stymied.

[Boggin]

Can you go Start - type %temp% and press enter and see if there's a build up of files.

If there are, press CTRL+a to highlight and then CTRL+d to delete - confirm - check the box and click on Skip.

I have a laptop that's isn't working as well as it was before the FCU but haven't been able to nail anything down yet.

[grimley]

Cleared folder. No difference. Thank you again.

I too have a laptop which has been acting strangely since the October update - desktop icons don't stay put, among other things; the fresh install (desktop) and the incremental update (laptop) behave in the same way with respect to applications that are running when a restart is initiated. The system restarts running apps upon reboot as if it were waking.

[Boggin]

Have you tried running the Windows Repair program ?

That includes some repairs which may resolve your problems.

After the reboot, you may have to reset Chrome as your default browser and anything else you may have changed the default on.

I don't think it's the Hiberfil file but for the laptop, right click on the battery icon - Power options - in the left pane click on Choose what closing the lid does and then on Change settings that currently aren't available and uncheck the boxes for fast startup and Hibernate - Save changes then reboot.

With only using a laptop, I don't know if you have the fast startup and Hibernate settings on a PC, but you can turn off Hibernate from a Command Prompt (Admin) with the cmd

powercfg -h off then enter shutdown /r /t 00 to effect an immediate reboot.

You can turn Hibernate back on by using on in the cmd instead of off.

[grimley]

Have tried repair. Have also turned Internet Explorer off via "Turn off Windows features" (IE will load even if it is not selected as the default browser) - to no avail.
The annoyance is minor. I'll wait to see if additional Windows updates shake things loose.

I have added your suggestions to my troubleshooting "repertoire" and Windows Repair 2018 has come in quite handy. Thank you.

[Boggin]

I have two Toshiba laptops which use the same network adapters, yet on one since the 1703 update, a restart will put a Code 45 - device not installed error on my Ethernet adapter and a restart will put it back to working properly.

It's still the same after the FCU so I wouldn't hold your breath that a future update will make things good.

I'm not sure if using the Feedback Hub will help to get things sorted as some things are just machine specific, so MS will probably ignore some.

You have to have a MS account to use it - I don't.

[grimley]

Found the culprit: LastPass password manager extension. It was present in Chrome and in IE when I tested the desktop. It is also present on the laptop, where links perform normally.
I disabled the extension and links came up as they should. Extension re-enabled and all is working as it should.

(Silly bunt).

[Boggin]

I wish mine was that easy to diagnose but when something affects more than one browser, it's usually a computer thing.

I don't use any managers and keep my add-ons to a minimum in IE.

My problem is bits and pieces maxing out the CPU and I have my Startup and non-MS services to a min as well.

Anyway, if you go to your first post and click on Modify you can add [SOLVED] to the thread title.

Tom.