My computer is acting weird.

[Toonces]

This is tough to explain, but hopefully it makes sense. 

This became most noticable when I start internet explorer, although I'm finding that it happens with games sometimes, too.

When I click on internet explorer, it will come on but then it sort of hangs for about 5 seconds.  Sometimes it opens part of a webpage and then it just stops.  That little blue circle thing on windows 7 that replaced the hourglass thingy to tell you the computer is "working" will stop rotating; everything just pauses for a few seconds.  If I click on the open page it will say up on top Internet Explorer- not responding, but then if I just wait it will eventually start working.

Now, once it comes up working, frequently when I switch websites, when the new website comes up it will pause again like that.  Or if I go to reply to a thread it might do it where I can't type anything for about 5 seconds.  The little red light on my computer comes on that shows it is doing something, but I can't figure out what process or whatever is occuring.

I noticed this a lot just today when I would start Rise of Flight, where it would take three clicks to start, then do a not responding for about 5 seconds, and then finally start working.

I have recently installed some games, but nothing really unusual.  I haven't updated any drivers recently.  I had a power outage a few days ago and I had to reboot the computer a couple of times before it worked properly...that's about all I can think of.  It's been doing this about a week or so, maybe more.  I can't think of anything that occured immediately before it started doing this.

[Toonces]

Rise of Flight does an online check when it starts, I think, so I'm sort of thinking this has something to do with my internet.  In fact, now that I think of it, Steam does this sometimes, too.

[Staggerwing]

Did you reset your router?

[Toonces]

It reset with the power outage, but I can try again.  If you don't hear from me later, it means I killed something.

[Toonces]

No, that didn't fix it.  It's very noticable, whenever I seem to switch websites everything just pauses for a few seconds.  It definitely didn't do this, say, a month ago; this is a new problem.

I tried restarting the computer and I unplugged/replugged my internet box and the cisco wireless router I'm using.

[Staggerwing]

Are you also having any issues with steaming video? You can check your internet connection at speedtest.net and I recommend running several tests to get an average. If you have any other computers, ipads, etc using the same wireless run speedtest.net on them as well for comparison. This will at least rule out your isp connection.

[Toonces]

I got 19.8Mbps download and 0.98Mbps upload.  I think that's about right.

[MIGMaster]

You may want to try reinstalling your network driver just in case it was a corrupted driver file.

[MikeGER]

how about the diskspace on the HD partition where Winows puts its temporary stuff?

[eyebiter]

.

[Staggerwing]

^ What he said. If you're getting your fair share of Teh Interwebz then the issue could be an infection. Also, in days past, some resident antivirus programs could hog resources (*cough*Norton,MacAffee*cough*) but their makers now claim that isn't the case (so much... ) and I'd only expect that to be the issue if you just recently started to use a new A/V program shortly before the sart of symptoms. Try both Malwarebytes and Spybot Search and Destroy (though I'd opt out of installing the 'Teatimer' option with the latter).