I find that most browsers, including Firefox, seem to need periodically restarting if they're not to start slowing down. While I still regard Firefox as my preferred browser, I'm using Vivaldi more and more these days, precisely because it doesn't seem to suffer from the problems which annoy both you and I. (I'm using it right now to type this).
PS: You can help Firefox work more smoothly by periodically minimising the amount of memory it's using:
Open a new tab and type 'about:memory' into the address bar.
Hit 'Enter'.
Click on 'Minimize Memory Usage'
Right-click on the tab and select 'Pin tab', so that the tab is 'parked' on the left of your screen.
Periodically (perhaps once per hour) return to that tab and click on 'Minimze Memory Usage' again.
Firefox then runs rather more sweetly.
thanks Chris - before your answer I googled how to quicken the computer and one of the suggestions - do you have many programmes opened up - you know I had 20 opened up so closed them all down (maybe that'll quicken it up) but will give Vivaldi a go. Do sometimes think it is more slower actually getting into Answerbank.
clicked on to minimise memory Usage
but when I right click on that tab no "pin tab" comes up - now I am right clicking on the "minimise memory usage" am I doing something wrong
With the greatest respect if you are running 3 browsers is your hard disk relatively full as this always slows things down. I find Firefox amongst the quickest browsers without any special tricks.
When I wrote 'right-click on the tab' I should,perhaps, have written 'right-click on the tab header'. (i.e. on the 'label' bit, at the top of the page, not within the page area). I suspect that's where you're going wrong.
(It's not essential to pin the tab anyway. It just makes it easier to get back to 'about:memory' later on).
I am using the unmentionable cos I am a bad girl. ok Chris will have a wee go at that suggestion. but it has deffo quickened up - like I was beginning to sweam and sweam LOL
right Crap and Chris - have deleted the google chrome and when I went onto delete - my my my there are loads of programmes I certainly don't use but am afraid to delete in case I do need them somehow.
Having a few extra programs on your computer shouldn't slow it down to any great extent (if at all) if you're not actually running them. There was a time when hard drive space was at a premium and it made sense to keep as much of it free as possible by removing unwanted software but it's not really necessary these days.