I know it has to do with memory, but can someone explain to a layman what causes this?

Question

With my browser closed my programs load very quickly. With the browser open and minimized the programs take much longer to load. Why? thanks

Answer 1

before you spend $ on RAM or hours in defragmentation, you may wanna increase your virtual memory. it's free and won't take hours. The only requirement is disk space (hard drive). Go to Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance Options > Advanced and you will see virtual memroy. just increase accordingly ..

if you are curious about your internet speed, pay a visit to
infospeed.verizon.com.

Answer 2

That sounds like it might be a problem with you not having enough RAM (random access memory). That can be fixed by going to the store and buying yourself a RAM card. Then you can just put that in a RAM slot inside your computer (you could check the internet for diagrams or step-by-step).
It might also help to defragment your computer (that will group information in your hard drive). You can do that by clicking the start > all programs > accessories > system tools > disk defragmentor.

Answer 3

Ben had a good answer, but I believe you can also add into the equation whether you have dial-up or DLS (or some other quick load program).

Dial-up can slow everything down, even if you've minimized the program. If you don't have DSL, then his answer is complete. Good luck. I hate computer problems because I'm a total computer idiot.