Tech Q&A: Why a game crashes on Chrome and Edge, but not on Firefox |
Q: I’m having trouble with an online Bridge card game running in my Windows 10 Pro PC browser. I have used google chrome for a long time with no problem, but now Bridge hangs when i “bid”. The same thing happens with the Microsoft Edge browser. For some reason the Bridge program works when I am using the Mozilla Firefox browser. I checked the PC for malware and Windows issues, but couldn’t find anything. The problem seems to be limited to this PC; Bridge works fine on three other PCs using Chrome browser. Also, I noticed that the cursor and keys on the PC respond slowly when I type a Gmail message. What’s wrong?
âRichard Flipp, Little Canada, Minnesota
A: Since one browser works better than two others on the same PC, the problem lies with the browser and not with the computer.
Currently Firefox runs faster than Chrome or Edge, which is why the Bridge program does not crash on Firefox.
The most likely reason Chrome and Edge run slower is because they are bogged down by too much data being stored or by “extensions” you can download to add new browser functionality. To speed them up, delete unnecessary files (cache and cookies) that a browser accumulates over time and try disabling browser extensions that can use too much PC computing power. (For Chrome, see tinyurl.com/2p9byv5k to purge old files and tinyurl.com/2p98xsjr to disable extensions. For Edge, see tinyurl.com/2p8re6ht for both.)
Why haven’t you had the same browser slowdown issue on your other PCs? You may not have used these browsers long enough to accumulate many old files, or you may not have downloaded extensions for them.
I suspect that the sluggishness of your PC cursor and keystrokes is related to a slow browser. The problem appears when you write a Gmail message – in your browser.
Q: When I look at photos that I have stored on my PC, I see thumbnails for some photos and random icons for others. What can I do?
âLeo Grosch, sculptor, Minnesota
A: Sometimes Windows will associate the wrong âpreview imageâ with a photo, causing you to see a random icon instead of a thumbnail version of the image.
To resolve the issue, clear the Windows “thumbnail cache” file in which these preview images are stored. This will force the PC to recreate the previews, probably with thumbnails instead of icons. To clear the cache, press the Windows keys and “R” simultaneously, then in the search box type “cleanmgr.exe” (without the quotes) and click “OK”. In the next menu, scroll down to âThumbnailsâ, make sure the box in front of it is checked and click âOKâ. If that doesn’t work, make a change in Windows File Explorer. Simultaneously press the Windows keys and “S”, then type “folder options”. On the next menu click on “File Explorer Options” and on the next menu click on the “View” tab at the top. In the resulting list, see if there is a check mark in front of “always show icons, never thumbnails”. If so, uncheck the box and click “OK”.
If there is no check mark in the box, do the following: Check the box and click “OK”. Then come back to the same menu, uncheck the box and click “OK”. This should activate the change you want.
(Email your technical questions to Steve Alexander at [email protected]. Please include a full name, city, and phone number.)
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