processing speed

  • Thread starter Thread starter Janice
  • Start date Start date
J

Janice

My computer is running very, very slow. My system has
Intel P4-2.40 GHz - 256MB DDR, 120GB hard drive.

When searching the web I have to use the refresh key all
the time. How can I find out why this is happening and
how can I fix it? This was not the case during the first
2 months of use. I have had the computer for about 3
months now.

Any assistance would be appreciated. Truly a novice, but
learning pretty fast.
 
I'm sure you'll get a bunch of responses and possible
solutions, but I'll kick things off. My first 2
suspects would be spyware and/or unnecessary programs
running.

For getting rid of spyware, try Ad-Aware
(lavasoftusa.com) and/or Spybot Search and Destroy
(http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?
lang=en&page=download) Both free. If you browse the
web, you're guaranteed to have some spyware... just
whether or not that's the problem isn't set in stone.

For info on services that XP runs in the background (you
need about 20% of what's on by default) check out
www.blackviper.com and click on the Windows XP services
link on the left for more info. I recommend creating a
system restore (start > accessories > system tools >
system restore) before disabling any services in case you
run into problems afterwards.

Good luck!
 
Suggestion 1: When was the last time you cleaned and
defragged your hard drive? If you've not done that
recently, start there.

Suggestion 2: Are you running KaZaa? The "free" version
loads an adservice and a spyware program called GATOR or
GMT. Both of these programs will slow you down
drastically, sometimes even freezing things up. If you
downloaded KaZaa, even if you aren't actively using it, it
may be sarting at boot up and running in the background.
If you have KaZaa and think it might be the problem, try
going to the site
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm
for directions on disabling KaZaa at start up.

Good Luck
 
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