IE8 after a while only using 1 connection per site

Ok so the new default settings for IE8 are.

6 active connections for http 1.0 and 6 for http 1.1

I noticed recently that IE8 was only using 1 connection for browsing meaning slow loading of images etc. same with 1.0 and 1.1.

I then tweaked in the registry and gpedit to allow it to use 12 and rebooted. Sure enough after the reboot (for a while) 12 connections were been used. But now the slow browsing is back and only 1 or 2 connections are used per site. Looking at netstat shows 4 iexplore.exe connections tied up to localhost which is a problem but still should mean there is another 8 left available to use.

any ideas?

Note that those 6 connections is an significant increase over previous IE versions. If your system is slowing down, it is not because 6 is limiting things. Therefore I would advise against dinking with the Registry and recommend you return all to the default settings, then determine and fix what is wrong.

Most issues with IE, including IE8 are due to plug-ins and add-ons, such a toolbars. Have you thoroughly scanned for malware? Just to be sure, I recommend purging the hard drives of clutter with Windows (XP, Vista or 7) Disk Cleanup, ATF Cleaner or CCleaner. If using CCleaner, uncheck the option to install the Yahoo toolbar during installation. Before first use, go to Options > Settings > Advanced and ensure Only delete files in Windows Temp folders older than 24 hours is unchecked. Know your site credentials (user names and passwords) for sites you frequent before cleaning; you may have to login again at next visit.

Download and install Malwarebytes's Anti-Malware (MBAM) and scan as follows:

Check for updates before scanning,
Select Perform quick scan > Scan,
When complete, click OK, then Show Results,
Ensure all is selected, and click Remove Selected,
When complete, save the log in Notepad to a convenient place for future reference.

Repeat for all computers in the "Trusted Zone" of your network (your side of the Internet "gateway" - typically the cable or DSL modem).

Windows Disk Cleanup Note: One distinct advantage Windows Disk Cleanup has over all other cleaners is that it also has the option to delete all but the most recent Restore Point. This can be significant as malicious code can hide there too. But I caution this option, found under the More Options tab, should be used only after careful consideration. If experiencing a problem that first appeared within the last couple days, do not use this option until sure System Restore can not be used to fix it. If the computer is running fine otherwise, and you are doing your weekly supplemental scans and want to root out as many potential malware hiding places as possible, I recommend setting a new Restore Point, and then use this Disk Cleanup option to clear out the old points.

Once that is done, if still having problems, I would reset IE. Go to Tools > Internet Options > Advanced, then click Reset. Then take care in re-adding any plug-ins and add-ons.

Just to followup with Digerati's suggestions....specifically the plugins part.

Tools
Manage addins

..then disable most of them. I keep java and flash enabled and disable all others. ymmv but, most are probably just slowing things down.

Also seems to me there is a tweaking proggy around to up the connection number in IE but, haven't had coffee yet and can't remember which one does this.

ok an update.

1 - this happens on the default settings, I only adjusted it upwards because of the problem in the first place.
2 - this also happens when IE is in safe mode no addons.
3 - there is no malware.

However I believe the culprit is/was proximitron (anti ad software), I switched to admuncher since I paid for it a while back anyway and that seems to fix the 1 connection issue however the author of admuncher still stuck in the stoneage and no http 1.1 support so browsing is still a bit sluggish with it but at least almost normal now.

I not worked out yet why proximitron worked fine with IE8 in XP yet has an issue in windows 7, also works fine in other browsers in windows 7. When I get some proper spare time will do more investigating.

I not worked out yet why proximitron worked fine with IE8 in XP yet has an issue in windows 7

My understanding is Proximitron ONLY works in XP (and Win2K) and has nothing to do IE. Don't think it worked on Vista either.

in regards to the addons, I do see there is almost 20 from microsoft, many related to office and some others, these are all ok to turn off?

Typically, the ones from Microsoft are fine - as you would expect, though not a guarantee. That is why they are not typically visible by default. I would not uninstall any but you should be able to disable them for testing.

I only have flash, java and one from adobe.

Every other addon (36 of them) are all microsoft. Also various addons are duplicated, eg. there is windows live loaded 3 times, java loaded 4 times.

I now disabled all windows live and microsoft office addons which helps a bit, disabling flash has a noticable impact on new tab opening speeds but since flash is so common in sites disabling it is not that practical unless I use another browser for flash sites which I am considering.

IE8 is just been problmatic in general, last night I rebooted to solve another IE8 problem, the right click menu took over a second to appear, I did some investigating into context handlers etc. but the slow right click was IE8 only, it did not affect windows explorer or any other app. In the end after a reboot the delay is gone, very strange.

For Java, you might check out, JavaRA. Can't say about Live - I have two that refer to sign-in, but I also don't use all of Live's features.

thanks nice program bookmarked it.

I forgot to mention tho the duplicate entries are not old versions, they the same version of java loaded multiple times.