Q. About three weeks ago, Internet Explorer began to take about 30 seconds to open. I tried to fix it with System Restore. No luck. I scanned for malicious programs, but found none. I then downloaded Firefox. It opens fine and I get to pages quickly, but there is a lag when I scroll down. Kim, this stinks! These problems really bug me!

A. I hear you. These issues can really try those of us who need speed. I solved a couple of browser problems over the weekend. I'm sure my blood pressure dropped!

My initial reaction to your problem was to blame spyware or a virus. That is less likely, since you scanned and didn't find anything. Be sure your security programs are up to date. And try more than one anti-spyware program. Good ones are Ad-Aware and Windows Defender. I have links to these security programs on my web site.

You can also check to see what processes are running. Click Ctrl+Alt+Del. That will open the Windows Security window. Click Task Manager. Select Processes. You'll see processes you don't recognize. Check them at Uniblue's WinTasks Process Library. If you find anything nasty, search the Internet for removal instructions.