why does Edge load page slow on one computer but not another, why is xhr javascript pending?

Question

issue loading pages on Edge from Terminal Server vs laptop. Same Application Same browser, different underlying OS/hardware.

Answer 1

Any # of reasons. Edge versions could be different, the machines may be running through different gateways/switches, the site may rely on hardware acceleration and it isn't turned on, Edge performance settings could be different, one machine may have already been to the site before and so all the various caching and optimizations that browsers tend to do may cause performance differences.

I would recommend you use the Developer Tools in the browser (F12) and go to the network tab and force a refresh of the site on both machines. Then see where the differences are. Could be the paths to the various CDNs the site relies on are impacted by network routing rules differently. The Network tab will identify where slowdowns are happening.

As for your title question about XHR, that is a web request the client is making to a server, generally an API call to the site's backend server. Most sites make heavy use of this. If the call is slow then it might be a problem with the server backend. You'd have to debug this or contact the site administrators.

Answer 2

I've been troubleshooting this issue for a while now. Interestingly, when I use an older version of Edge (like 113), pages load instantly on the same machine, no slow downs in the application at all.
However, with the latest version (134) and any version in between, pages, including the new tab startup page, load significantly slower.

I've conducted tests on two identical RDS machines—one cloned VM for testing purposes. Both machines have the same network setup (so they both route the same way), updates, and system resources. I've ensured both browsers are reset and using local profiles for testing, without UPDs or FSLOGIX involved.

Despite trying numerous optimizations—disabling everything, allowing unrestricted internet access from Sophos, and checking policies—I'm still facing this issue. Clearing cookies or resetting the browser doesn't help, and blaming site admins doesn't seem justified since other browsers perform well.

It's clear there's something in the new Edge versions causing this slowdown, as other browsers work flawlessly on the same setup. I see lots of complaints about Edge being very slow, but there does not seem to be a logical explanation how it could work fine on one machine but not another?
and opening a new tab, you'll see a loading icon for 10 seconds or so. Crazy how bloated edge is now and not to mention, this is "Edge For Business"