Have you downloaded a bunch of "free software"?

That software is never free. It's got loads of other programs attached that can do exactly this. They spy on you, affect your search results, change the ads that you see, and so many other nasty things. That's why it's always worth paying for software you want to use.

If you've got any on there, purge it as soon as possible. Even more may be hidden in your hard drive, so you may have to get it professionally scanned.

Hey Stella, first, if you're using Chrome, try Firefox or Edge and compare results. If anything changes like a noticeable speed change, clear your browser cache and try again. If still nothing changes, you might have a sneaky virus hanging around like Zoopie suggested. Do a virus scan and try again. Oh and another thing, do your testing with no other tabs open. Chrome lags big time with multiple tabs open. These are basic steps but hopefully you'll get good results.

Sounds like a virus. What virus protection do you have. Run a scan. And do what Jeff said as well. Good luck.
Stephen

Have you tried clearing your browser cache?

I'm not sure, but have you cleared your cache, Stella?

Jeff