ioi is slow: what to check before contacting support

A guide for users and resellers, with no technical knowledge needed, to find the cause of slowness and point support in the right direction.

1. Read this first #

ioi runs in a web browser, just like a website. When ioi seems slow, the cause can be in one of four places: the browser, the computer, the internet connection or the ioi server. In most cases it is one of the first three. Support cannot see these and cannot fix them remotely.

This guide helps you find where the problem is yourself, with simple tests done one after the other. You do not need to be an IT expert.

• Time needed: 15 to 30 minutes for all the tests. You can stop as soon as a test shows the cause.
• What you need: The computer where ioi is slow; a second web browser (most Windows PCs already have Microsoft Edge); a smartphone with mobile data; a second computer if possible.
• How to go about it: Print the form in Appendix A, do the tests in order and tick the result of each one. Always repeat the same action in ioi (open the same screen, the same list, the same report), so that you compare like with like.

A few useful terms #

Term	What it means
Browser	The program you use to open websites and ioi: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari.
Tab	Each page open in the browser, shown as a small tab along the top of the window. All tabs share the computer’s memory and the internet connection, so a radio, video or social media tab can slow ioi down.
Cache	Copies of files that the browser keeps on the computer to work faster. Sometimes they are damaged or out of date.
Extension	A small add-on for the browser (ad blocker, translator, spell checker, password manager, etc.). Some of them slow pages down.
Private window	A browser window that starts “clean”: no cache, no history and usually no extensions.
Download speed	How fast the computer receives data from the internet.
Upload speed	How fast the computer sends data to the internet. This matters a lot for ioi: every click, every entry and every save is sent to the server.
Ping (latency)	The time a message takes to go from the computer to the internet and back, in milliseconds (ms). The lower it is, the faster ioi responds.
Jitter	How much the ping changes from one moment to the next. High jitter makes ioi feel jerky.
Remote desktop (RDP, Citrix)	You work on a remote computer (a server), shown in a window on your PC. ioi then runs in that server’s browser, not in your PC’s browser.
VPN	A secure connection to the company network. All internet traffic then goes through this tunnel, which can slow it down.

2. Describe the slowness #

Before testing, take two minutes to answer these questions and write the answers on the form in Appendix A. They help narrow down the search, and support will ask for them if you need to get in touch.

• Who is affected? Just you, a few colleagues, or all users? Ask one or two colleagues whether ioi is slow for them at the same time.
• Where? On one computer, in one office, when working from home, in a remote desktop session, or everywhere?
• What? All of ioi, or just one screen, list, report or printout?
• Since when? Date and time it started. Note the exact time of at least one slow moment. Has anything changed recently: a Windows or browser update, a new antivirus, a new VPN, a new internet router, a new computer, an office move?
• Other tabs? Which other tabs and programs are open while ioi is slow: online radio, music, videos, social media, video calls?
• All the time? All the time, or at certain times of day (early morning, lunchtime, end of the day)? Slowness at the same time every day suggests a shared internet line that is overloaded at that time.

What kind of slowness? #

What you see	Type	Most common cause
After a click, you wait: the wheel spins, the list or report takes a long time to appear, saving takes a long time.	Loading	The internet connection, or heavy processing on the server (large report, list with no filter).
The window redraws badly or in pieces, scrolling is jerky, typed letters appear late, menus open slowly.	Display	Almost always the computer, the browser or the remote desktop session.
ioi freezes for a few seconds and then carries on, or shows “connection lost” messages.	Dropouts	Unstable Wi-Fi, VPN, or an internet connection that keeps dropping.

3. The tests, step by step #

Do the tests in order: the first ones are the quickest. After each test, repeat the same action in ioi and tick the result on the form. As soon as a test makes ioi run smoothly, you have found where the problem is: go to section 4.

Test 1 — Are your colleagues affected? #

Why: if nobody else has slowness, the ioi server is not the cause.

How: ask one or two colleagues who use ioi to open the same screen at the same time. Note whether they are working in the office or elsewhere.

Test 2 — Restart the computer #

Why: a computer left on for several days builds up programs in memory and pending updates.

How:

1. Save your work and close your programs.
2. Start menu › Power button › Restart (not “Sleep”, and not just closing the lid of a laptop).
3. If Windows offers “Update and restart”, choose that option and let the update finish.
4. Open only the browser and ioi, then repeat the action.

Test 3 — Close the other tabs (radio, videos, social media) #

Why: all open tabs share the same browser, the same memory and the same internet connection as ioi. Some of them are very heavy, even when you are not looking at them: online radio or streamed music, a YouTube video (even paused or in the background), social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.) that keeps loading new images and videos, a video call, a game or a page with lots of animations. They use memory and processor power, take up bandwidth, and slow down the display and responses of the ioi page.

How:

1. Look at the tabs open along the top of the browser window, and in any other browser windows. A small speaker icon on a tab means it is playing sound.
2. To see what each tab is using: in Chrome or Edge, press Shift + Esc to open the browser’s task manager (Memory, CPU and Network columns); in Firefox, type about:processes in the address bar.
3. Close every tab you do not need for your current work, starting with radio, videos, social media and any duplicate ioi tabs.
4. Also close other programs that play sound or video (Spotify, radio apps, video players).
5. Wait a few seconds, then repeat the same action in ioi.

If you want to keep radio or music on while you work, open it in a different browser from the one you use for ioi, and repeat this test if ioi becomes slow again.

Test 4 — Fully reload the page #

Why: the browser may be using an old or damaged copy of the ioi files.

How:

1. In the ioi tab, press Ctrl + Shift + R together (or Ctrl + F5).
2. Check that the zoom is at 100%: press Ctrl + 0 (zero).

Test 5 — Open ioi in a private window #

Why: a private window starts with no cache and no extensions. If ioi runs smoothly there, the cause is in the browser itself.

How:

1. Open a private window: Ctrl + Shift + N in Chrome and Edge, Ctrl + Shift + P in Firefox.
2. Type the address of your ioi site and log in (the private window does not know your saved password).
3. Repeat the action, then close the private window.

Test 6 — Try another browser #

Why: an old, badly configured or damaged browser can slow the display down a great deal.

How:

1. If you use Firefox, try Microsoft Edge (included with Windows) or Google Chrome, and vice versa.
2. Log in to ioi and repeat the same action.
3. Note the name and version of your usual browser. To find the version: Chrome › ⋮ menu › Help › About Google Chrome; Edge › … menu › Help and feedback › About Microsoft Edge; Firefox › ≡ menu › Help › About Firefox. This page also starts an update if one is available.

Test 7 — Open other websites #

Why: if all websites are slow, the problem is the internet connection or the computer, not ioi.

How: open two or three websites you know (a news site, a YouTube video, your webmail). Do they load normally? Does the video start straight away?

Test 8 — Measure the internet line (upload speed) #

Why: ioi is constantly exchanging data with the server. A low or overloaded upload speed, or a high ping, slows down every click, even if the download speed is good.

How:

1. If possible, run the test while ioi is slow, on the affected computer.
2. Open speedtest.net and click GO (or open fast.com and click “Show more info” to see the upload speed as well).
3. Wait for the test to finish and write on the form: download speed, upload speed, ping and jitter.
4. Take a screenshot of the result: Windows + Shift + S, select the area, then paste it into an email or a document.
5. Run the test twice more, a few minutes apart, to see whether the figures are stable.

How to read the result:

Measurement	Fairly good	Keep an eye on it	Likely problem
Upload speed	Close to the speed in your internet contract	Clearly below the contract speed	Less than half the contract speed, or very different from one test to the next
Ping	Under 50 ms	Between 50 and 100 ms	Over 100 ms
Jitter	Under 10 ms	Between 10 and 30 ms	Over 30 ms

These figures are a rough guide. The expected speed is shown on your internet service provider’s contract or bill.

If the result is poor: look for anything using the line at the same time, especially for uploads: online backups, OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox syncing, video calls (Teams, Zoom), security cameras, Windows updates, large file uploads. Pause these transfers and run the test again.

Test 9 — Check whether the computer is overloaded #

Why: if the computer’s processor or memory is maxed out, every application slows down, including ioi.

How:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager (click “More details” if it opens in a small window).
2. Look at the top of the CPU, Memory and Disk columns. A figure that stays above 90% for more than a minute means the computer is overloaded.
3. Click the column heading to sort it, and note the program using the most. If it is the browser, go back to test 3: one of its tabs is probably the cause.

Test 10 — Wi-Fi, cable and VPN #

Why: a weak Wi-Fi signal or an overloaded VPN adds a delay to every exchange.

How:

1. If you are on Wi-Fi: move closer to the Wi-Fi router or access point, or plug the computer in with a network cable if you can.
2. If a VPN is running (an icon near the clock, or a program that opens at startup) and your company allows it: disconnect it and repeat the action.

Test 11 — Use another internet connection (mobile phone hotspot) #

Why: this is the most telling test. It replaces the whole company connection (router, network, firewall, VPN) with the mobile phone’s connection. If ioi becomes smooth, the problem is in the company connection.

How:

1. On the smartphone, turn on the hotspot. Android: Settings › Network & internet (or Connections) › Hotspot & tethering › Wi-Fi hotspot. iPhone: Settings › Personal Hotspot › Allow Others to Join.
2. On the computer, click the network icon near the clock, choose the phone’s name and enter the password shown on the phone. Unplug the network cable if there is one, and disconnect the VPN.
3. Repeat the action in ioi, then switch back to your usual connection.

This test uses mobile data. A few minutes of using ioi is enough.

Test 12 — Try from another computer #

Why: if ioi runs smoothly on another computer in the same office, the cause is on the first computer.

How: on another computer connected to the same network, open ioi (with the same user if possible) and repeat the same action.

Test 13 — If you work through remote desktop (RDP, Citrix) #

How to tell: you first open “Remote Desktop Connection” or a Citrix portal, and another Windows desktop appears, often with a bar at the top of the screen showing a server name. If in doubt, ask your IT support.

Why: in this case, ioi runs in the browser on the remote desktop server, which is shared with other users, and only the screen image reaches your PC. Display slowness can come from that server or from the RDP connection, and have nothing to do with the ioi server.

How:

1. Open ioi directly in the browser on your own PC, outside the remote session, and compare.
2. In the remote session, try changing the browser’s graphics acceleration setting, then restart the browser and compare: Chrome › Settings › System › “Use graphics acceleration when available”; Edge › Settings › System and performance › same option; Firefox › Settings › General › Performance (untick “Use recommended performance settings” to see the option). The right setting depends on the server: test with it on and off.
3. Tell your IT support if several colleagues in the same remote session have the same slowness: the remote desktop server may be overloaded.

4. Understanding the result #

Find in this table the first test that made ioi run smoothly.

What you found	The problem probably comes from…	Who can fix it
Your colleagues have no slowness (test 1)	your computer or your connection, not the ioi server	Carry on with the tests; your IT support
Smooth after closing the other tabs (test 3)	other tabs overloading the browser or using the connection: online radio, videos, social media	You: keep these tabs closed, or open them in a different browser from the one you use for ioi
Smooth after restarting or reloading (tests 2, 4)	the computer or the browser, which was clogged up	You; if it keeps happening, your IT support
Smooth in a private window or another browser (tests 5, 6)	the browser: an extension, the cache, an out-of-date version	You or your IT support (section 5)
Other websites are slow too, or the line test is poor (tests 7, 8)	the internet connection, overloaded or faulty	Your IT support or your internet service provider
The computer is overloaded (test 9)	a program using too many resources, or a computer that is not powerful enough	Your IT support
Smooth on a cable, closer to the Wi-Fi or without VPN (test 10)	the Wi-Fi or the VPN	Your IT support
Smooth on the mobile phone connection (test 11)	the company network: router, firewall, proxy, network antivirus, internet line	Your IT support or your internet service provider
Smooth on another computer (test 12)	the first computer: resources, antivirus, drivers, installed software	Your IT support or your reseller
Slow only in the remote session (test 13)	the remote desktop server or its configuration	Your IT support or your reseller
Slow everywhere: several computers, several browsers, including the mobile phone connection, several users	the ioi side: server, site or processing	Silicon ioi support (section 7)
One screen, list or report is slow everywhere; the rest of ioi is smooth	the amount of data or the filters on that screen	Silicon ioi support, stating the screen and the filters

5. Fixing the most common causes #

The browser #

• Update it: open the browser’s “About” page (see test 6); the update starts on its own, then click “Relaunch”.
• Turn off extensions: type chrome://extensions (Chrome), edge://extensions (Edge) or about:addons (Firefox) in the address bar. Turn off all extensions, check ioi, then turn them back on one by one to find the one causing the problem.
• Lighten the load: keep open only the tabs you need for work. No online radio, videos or social media in the same browser as ioi; if you really want them, use a different browser for them.
• Clear the cache: press Ctrl + Shift + Delete, choose the time range “All time” (or “Everything”), tick only “Cached images and files”, then confirm. Close and reopen the browser.

The internet connection #

• Find and pause anything using the line (backups, syncing, video calls, large uploads).
• Restart the internet router (unplug it for 30 seconds), after checking with the other people in the office.
• If the speed stays clearly below what your contract promises, contact your internet service provider and send them the screenshots of the line test.

The computer #

• Close programs you do not need and any extra tabs; restart at least once a week.
• Install any pending Windows updates.
• If Task Manager shows the computer is constantly overloaded, ask your IT support to check it (antivirus, startup programs, memory).

6. Recommendations for using ioi #

ioi is built on the Frappe Framework and is used in a web browser. Frappe does not publish an official list of browsers or minimum computer requirements: the Frappe team states that any modern browser will do. The recommendations below are Silicon Brain’s own, based on support experience.

Item	Recommendation
Browser	Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox, in their latest version, with automatic updates turned on. No Internet Explorer or old browsers.
Extensions	As few as possible. Ad blockers, translators, spell checkers and screen capture tools can slow pages down or change their content.
Tabs	One or a few ioi tabs, not dozens: each one keeps a connection open to the server and uses memory. Avoid heavy tabs in the same browser (online radio, YouTube videos, social media, streaming): they use memory, processor power and bandwidth, and slow the ioi page down.
Computer	Enough memory and processor power for the browser and the other programs in use; Windows and graphics drivers up to date; regular restarts.
Network	A network cable rather than Wi-Fi where possible; enough upload speed, not overloaded; a stable ping.
Firewall, proxy, antivirus	For IT support: allow the ioi site over HTTPS, and WebSocket connections (wss://) to the same site, which are used to update screens in real time. Avoid HTTPS inspection of the ioi site by the proxy or antivirus.
VPN	If a VPN is required, compare with and without it: an overloaded or distant VPN adds a delay to every exchange.
Remote desktop	A remote desktop server sized for the number of users connected at the same time; an up-to-date browser on that server.

7. Contacting support #

If the tests show that ioi is slow everywhere, contact support and include the information below and the completed form from Appendix A. Without it, support will first ask you to run these tests.

• ioi site: The site address (the one shown in the browser’s address bar)
• User(s): The ioi user(s) concerned and the number of people affected
• Date and time: The exact time of at least one slow moment
• Computer: Browser and version; remote desktop yes or no; VPN yes or no; Wi-Fi or cable
• Action concerned: Screen, list, report or printout; filters used; all of ioi or just part of it
• Results: The completed form from Appendix A, with the screenshot of the line test
• Screenshot or video: Screenshot: Windows + Shift + S. Short video: open the Windows Snipping Tool, choose video mode, select the ioi window and record the slowness.

Appendix A — Test form to fill in #

• ioi site: ____________________
• User / company: ____________________
• Date and time of slowness: ____________________
• Action concerned in ioi: ____________________
• Type of slowness: ☐ Loading ☐ Display ☐ Dropouts
• Browser and version: ____________________
• Connection: ☐ Remote desktop ☐ VPN ☐ Wi-Fi ☐ Cable

No.	Test	Result	Comments
1	Are your colleagues affected?	☐ No ☐ Yes
2	Restart the computer	☐ Smooth ☐ Slow
3	Close the other tabs (radio, videos, social media)	☐ Smooth ☐ Slow
4	Fully reload the page	☐ Smooth ☐ Slow
5	Private window	☐ Smooth ☐ Slow
6	Another browser	☐ Smooth ☐ Slow
7	Other websites	☐ Normal ☐ Slow
8	Line test: download ________ upload ________ ping ________ jitter ________	☐ OK ☐ Poor
9	Computer overloaded (Task Manager)	☐ No ☐ Yes
10	Cable, closer to the Wi-Fi, without VPN	☐ Smooth ☐ Slow
11	Mobile phone hotspot	☐ Smooth ☐ Slow
12	Another computer	☐ Smooth ☐ Slow
13	Outside remote desktop	☐ Smooth ☐ Slow ☐ N/A

Support will add to this form as new cases come up. Comments and suggestions: Silicon ioi team.

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Step-by-step guide · version 2.1 of 06/10/2026 · author: Mickael Collings – Silicon ioi team · recipients: ioi users and resellers · distribution: customer / reseller