Problems with zoom - help, if possible!

[Suzanne]

Hi, I got a "new" reconditioned hp laptop from my husband for our 30 anniversary and love it, accept that when I am on zoom, the video with whom I am with, freezes every now and again and blocks out what they are saying, but does not freeze with my video and they can still hear me talking.

I do not use enhances on zoom.

I have tried to unstal and reinstal. I got rid of temperary files and closed down firefox tabs and yet, still freezing on me.

This may be premature really, because on some other advice, I, again uninstalled zoom and this time, used google to reinstal, and won't know if that helps, until tomorrow.

And, I am thinking of using a different operating system. I do not like windows very much and although am curious about windows 11, since it is still windows microsoft, I am searching for other possibilities, can any one suggests a alternative good OS for me?

 

[Judge]

It may be something far more basic. The speed/bandwidth of your Internet connection. Which may be impaired based on a very slow wireless connection. You might try accessing Ookla, providing you can find a suitable server.

Speedtest by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test

If you can use Ethernet to connect to your laptop when using Zoom, try that. See if it makes a substantial difference with a much faster speed than anything wireless can deliver.

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/how-to-troubleshoot-video-meeting-issues

I don't use apps like Zoom, but over time I have become disenchanted with wireless and have switched to using Ethernet, giving me nearly twice the speed of AC 5.0Ghz Protocol without any occasional signal dropoff.

 

[Suzanne]

It may be something far more basic. The speed/bandwidth of your Internet connection. Which may be impaired based on a very slow wireless connection. You might try accessing Ookla, providing you can find a suitable server.

Speedtest by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test

If you can use Ethernet to connect to your laptop when using Zoom, try that. See if it makes a substantial difference with a much faster speed than anything wireless can deliver.

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/how-to-troubleshoot-video-meeting-issues

I don't use apps like Zoom, but over time I have become disenchanted with wireless and have switched to using Ethernet, giving me nearly twice the speed of AC 5.0Ghz Protocol without any occasional signal dropoff.

I tried ethernet, but still the same issue and surely can't be the bandwidth, even if the notice says, because zoom is fine with my tablet and my phone.

 

[Judge]

I tried ethernet, but still the same issue and surely can't be the bandwidth, even if the notice says, because zoom is fine with my tablet and my phone.

You might want to measure the bandwidth received just so you can deduce that bandwidth and your laptop's network adapter is not a problem regardless of how your other devices work.

In the HP Troubleshooting link I sent you, it also mentions the possibility of software errors. There are plenty of other links out there you might investigate as well, likely with even more explanations of what might be going wrong. Hopefully it's not a security issue given how Zoom can be so easily infected with malware.

"Whether you use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, WebEx, or a proprietary system for your work or school, the program itself may be the culprit. But how can you tell?

Signs of a software glitch include a frozen PC or a screen that sticks on a single frame for the duration of the call. The program may also fail to let you join an existing video call, even if you’ve clicked the correct link or entered the correct passcode.

Why does this happen? It is most often a prioritization issue. While the software may be designed to allow up to 1,000 viewers at a time, the servers still need to prioritize the video and audio for each of these participants. If resources become limited, you may find that you can’t see or hear the host.

Expect the call’s quality to degrade with even just a dozen participants, especially if the host is using a free or limited-bandwidth solution. One workaround is for the host to ask that all guests turn off their video during the call and mute their audio when they’re not speaking. Using chat windows takes up fewer resources and can help stabilize the call’s quality.

Quick fix: Guests can turn off video or mute audio to use fewer resources, letting the speaker/host gain priority."

Here's another link for you to consider:

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/common-problems-with-zoom-and-how-to-fix-them/

 

[Telepath John]

And, I am thinking of using a different operating system. I do not like windows very much and although am curious about windows 11, since it is still windows microsoft, I am searching for other possibilities, can any one suggests a alternative good OS for me?

Hi,

I like using a Linux OS on my PC. You would want to evaluate that OS before switching to it as your regular desktop OS. You can do that by setting up a dual boot to Linux on your Laptop. Can you do that or get assistance in doing it?

John

 

[Suzanne]

I seem to have resolved zoom meetings. Well, yesterday, no freezing occured, but then, I decided to try and download linux mint, but not clever enough to understand the method, so, in the end, downloaded windows 11 and hated it lol, so reverted back to windows 10. Strangely enough, though, my computer seems faster than before, but perhaps that is because, I ran a full diagnostic on my lappy and cleaned up cache files and temperary files etc.

I would love to use linux mint, but the process involving burning onto a cd is a bit lost with my brain cells and I felt frustrated that I am not that clever lol

 

[Telepath John]

I would love to use linux mint, but the process involving burning onto a cd is a bit lost with my brain cells and I felt frustrated that I am not that clever lol

Yes it can be frustrating. The process is to download an ISO file and burn it into a CD. Every distribution seems to have a different way to validate the integrity of the ISO file with check sum verification. I find that the hardest part. The last few times I had trouble doing this, went ahead and made the CD anyway. It all worked out ok for me. I currently use MX Linux myself. I have been using Linux for so long I forget how to use Windows. In your case you may want to consider buying an already made CD.

John