2 problems, need some help

PROBLEM 1:
A common situation is where a page is loading, and either loads too slow or just takes too long and eventually just stops loading.

I use internet explorer, and as far as I know, other browsers do the same thing. When a picture is loading, and takes too long, it decides to stop loading and cuts off the rest of the images. In some situations, thumbnails turn into little "x"s, pages get cut off, or it says "internet explorer could not find web page"

I assume this is a setting, for the browser or windows, that cuts off the recieving of a file over the internet in order to save bandwidth.

Can anyone tell me exactly what's doing it, why, and how do I modify it?


PROBLEM 2:
In 2004, I recieved a Hewlet Packard media center PC with Windows XP. About a year later, I purchased and installed a new graphics card for the system (at the time, unsure if they where compatable, but it worked). My computer was fine for months.

Problem is, the computer "shit the bed". It began to randomly restart, and said occurence began to increase. It would just keep shutting off, got to the point where it shut off every 15 minutes, and then I could never turn it back on.

Since then, I've had a new computer. However, someone I know wants to buy the old one, so I need the cash. When I booted it up, it actually turned on. It went to the menu where I had the option to start in safemode, last known config, et cetera. HOWEVER, choosing ANY of the options would begin to boot up the computer, and then it would restart, like it couldn't load properly.

I hit the right function button and tried to do a system restore, but it said it was missing some system32 file. Also, I noted that the menu didn't detect a single piece of hardware aside from the hard drive, and it is all still there.

My theories: The new graphics card somehow fuxxored my computer, or I got some kind of nasty virus that did the same, probably deleting my system 32 folder. PLEASE, give me some suggestions, because I need this cash

>>6
Thanks for being the only one not flaming me for IE. I have cable, and the pages time out due to some akward setting, EVERYTHING does it.

For example, gamers know that if they take too long to connect to a server, the game will simply give up and disconnect. My browser is doing the same, but on my laptop it happens much too soon, giving a page generally 30-40 seconds before it gives up, as opposed to my desktops 2-3 minutes.


As far as your second option goes, I'd LOVE to get my hands on an HP restore CD for windows XP. However, I can't get my hands on one, geek squad and other "professionals" would charge me money, and bestbuy claims that it would cost me 100-150 dollars to get it from the manufacturer. I don't want to spend too much money.


>>5
I've been using IE for a while. I used Firefox at the same time, and in the past I've used netscape and AOL.

It's been in my experience that IE is more rugged. I've never faced a problem, havn't had a virus since AOL started handing out anti virus software (something I didn't have in the past), and basically every page I've ever visited has loaded properly. I often here, even here on 4chan, people complaining about how Firefox won't load the page, and keep looking for advice on how to fix their problems.

I've never had reliability issues with IE, and I don't have any viruses (I have Spybot search and Destroy, McAfee, and trend micro for the PC. There's no viruses or spyware on my system, I KNOW this isn't a browser or spyware problem, simply some kind of setting, and it must have been changed on my laptop or set so low for some necessary reason since it's a laptop.