Ask a new question

One specific website freezes/is unresponsive on EVERY browser on Windows 10, not an issue on other devices

I have a very strange issue (I think).

I'm using a wireless connection and running Windows 10 on an HP Spectre x360 laptop.

On 10/31, I was using a website I've frequented for years without issue (livecareer.com). I put my laptop to sleep in the middle of using it, came back a couple of hours later, and suddenly the site is frozen/unresponsive. It wouldn't load on any browser. Of course, I assumed it was an issue with the site itself and forgot about it for a while. On 11/8, I tried to load the site again and it was STILL freezing. Odd. I then tried to access the site via iOS just to see what would happen and had no issues. To be sure it was just one computer having trouble, I also tried visiting the site on my desktop computer (Mac) and my husband's desktop (also running Windows 10) and was able to load it both times, no problem.

The issue is not with the browser. I've tried visiting the site using Firefox, Chrome, and Microsoft Edge. The same problem occurs each time: the page is "unresponsive," and the browser will prompt me to either wait for the page to load or exit entirely. Livecareer.com is the ONLY site giving me this issue.

The internet connection is not the problem. All of the devices that I was later able to load the site onto were using the same wi-fi network in the same house.

I did not install any new software in between the last time this site worked and the time it ceased working.

Things I have tried already:

1) Flushing the DNS cache. Interestingly, immediately after I tried this, the site (which was already open in a Chrome tab) briefly sprang to life, only to freeze up again a couple of seconds later.

2) Completely uninstalling my VPN software (Nord). Didn't work.

3) Clearing cookies/caches on every browser. Still no luck.

Related: There is a second website I'm also having issues with ONLY on my laptop (but again on EVERY browser), though the problem with this other site (mackweldon.com) is slightly different - when I try to visit the homepage, it automatically redirects me to mackweldon.com/undefined, which does not exist and only contains a 404 error. This site works perfectly fine on all of my other devices. The above troubleshooting steps did not fix this problem, either.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm at my wit's end on this one.

Hello, MollyBee7

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

Have you tried disabling hardware acceleration in browser settings? Sometimes this feature may affect certain sites:

In Edge, press Alt + F at the same time on your keyboard > Select Settings > System and perfomance > Under System, disable Use hardware acceleration when available

In Chrome, click Image on the top right corner of the window > Settings > System > disable Use hardware acceleration when available

In Firefox, click Image on the top right corner of the window > Settings > General > Under Performance, Uncheck the box next to Use recommended performance settings, then uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available

Here are some other troubleshooting steps:

  • Create a local user or administrator account in Windows. Most of Windows profiles and settings will be reset to default in the new account, so as to determine whether there is something wrong with the previous profile or settings.

  • Perform a clean boot in Windows. A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program. According to another user's feedback, an app on their device was interfering: Cant access certain websites on all browsers - Microsoft Community.

    Although it was not found out through clean boot, but the result was the same as through clean boot.

    This is similar to starting Windows in Safe Mode, but provides you more control over which services and programs run at startup to help you isolate the cause of a problem.

Disclaimer: These steps might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble or mistake, please follow them in order and step-by-step so that it will help you get you back on track.

If all the solutions don't help, consider resetting your PC. See detailed steps in Recovery options in Windows - Microsoft Support. Be sure to back up your files in advance.

If you've tried the steps above or don't see a solution to the problem, send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app. This helps Microsoft determine the root cause of the problem. Include specific details about what you were doing when the problem occurred.

Feel free to let me know if you have other concerns.

Best regards

Yuhao Li

Microsoft Community Technical Support

6 people found this reply helpful

·

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn't help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

 
 

Question Info

Last updated December 4, 2024 Views 7,203 Applies to: