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I have to refresh my browser all the time.

Browser doesn't matter, this happens in all browsers.

The problem is when I enter a URL, sometimes the page loads fine, but most times the page won't load (keeps loading without anything happening), or it loads but only text is visible and not the pictures, OR the browser displays some strange text like "host: blabla, connection: keep-alive etc etc" (text which isn't on the webpage at all).

I have no clue what it could be... It has been bugging me for months now.

I have a network cable with a DSL connection, and I have all drivers setup from the manufacturers website for all computer components.

I run Windows XP.

I am suspecting my network card (ethernet card). It is Broadcom NetXtreme GBabit Ethernet.

Is anybody having the same issue?

If you need more input let me know...

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Have you tried swapping out the network card? – Zian Choy Sep 29 '10 at 17:36
it definitely has something to do with your network connection, either locally (network card), or at your router, dsl modem, cables, or your internet connection itself. Do you have any other computers hooked up to the network? If so, does the same thing happen on those machines or is it isolated to this one computer? – Robert S Ciaccio Oct 7 '10 at 0:07
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4 Answers

up vote 2 down vote

Sort of a stab in the dark, but often if you can see the website text but it looks formatted all strangely without images, it's a network quirk where your browser hasn't received the stylesheet for that site, and so it doesn't implement the formatting.

If this happens all the time, and you're reasonably sure it's not your network card, I would suggest you update the firmware on your router to start.

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This often happens with a flaky connection. If the connection dies after your browser retrieves the page but before it retrieves the stylesheet, you get a plantext page. – Ryan Thompson Dec 7 '10 at 7:49
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up vote 1 down vote

I had this same issue for months on my workstation and assumed it was some type of virus since my 8-year-old uses this computer all the time.

It turned out to be the network cable I was using. I switched to a new cable and the problem totally went away. I'm not saying it will be the cable in all cases, but if you have more than one computer connected to the same Internet connection via an in-home router as I do I would look for hardware problems first.

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up vote 0 down vote

Are you having problems with other types of traffic? (Email, ping, FTP, chat, etc?) If not, it's not your hardware.

Are the other computers on the LAN having the same problems? If not, it's not the router.

I'd suggest some or all of the following steps:

  • Make sure you're running all available patches and service packs for XP.
  • Test surfing again with your software firewall disabled.
  • Test surfing again with your AV software disabled. (Norton, for example, is notorious for making connections unusable.)
  • Do a full virus and rootkit and nasty stuff scan.
  • Update your router's firmware.
  • Test your connection's throughput.
  • Reset and reconfigure your router.
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up vote 0 down vote

I notice the same problem with my computer. The only thing that fixes it is rebooting the computer. But, I really don't like having to reboot the computer 3 and 4 times a day.

I have a direct connection to the router, but, the wireless computers on the router have no problem. So, I don't think it is the router or Ethernet cable, because rebooting should not fix a hardware problem.

I have this problem no matter what router or cable I connect to the computer. After reboot, the browsing remains fast for about 4 or 5 hours, then slows down. Then I have to refresh 6 and 7 times per web page visited.

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