Hi all you lovable geeks. I always knew you guys/gals were beautiful!
I've been using computers and internet for (?) over 10 years, but only learn what I need as I go. Hands on. Handbook dyslexic.
I function pretty well though, and can be walked through most problems. : > )
Anyway ---
My computer is just plain running slow. It takes awhile for any short cut to connect, for my isp to connect, my my mailbox to open, or close, and isp is very slow to disconnect. I'm not talking hours, but slow. Slower. Word is particularly slow - perhaps because it is the program I use most?
I have refreshed my desk top
re-named shortcuts
and defragged my computer which still has boo coo space on it.

I remember being told I need to clean my registry. But how do I know which files are safe to delete? The ext. are greek to me.

I just upgraded my Norton's, but not to the latest definitions. I was behind in getting that done.
Something seems to be running constantly. So I turned that off temporarily. It didn't help. I turned off an automatic update for Apple Quick Time or somethin nuther.
Please!

Love you,
Nervous Nelly

Cleaning the registry is not going to make any difference.

How does it behave if you boot to Safe Mode with Networking? If better then something is starting at boot that is causing the problem. Try the following:

First, physically disconnect from the Internet to prevent a malware infection while your Anti-virus and/or Firewall are disabled in the following steps, then do a normal boot:

Click on Start then Run, type msconfig and press Enter.
Click on the Startup tab and disable everything (I mean everything).
Do a regular boot, see if it runs normal.
If yes then use msconfig to enable several items at a time till you find the culprit.

If no, click on the Services tab. Check the Hide All Microsoft Services box then click the Disable All button.
Again, do a regular boot, see if it runs normal.
If yes then use msconfig to enable services till you find the culprit.

Once you've found the culprit, uninstall it or find out how to eliminate it from your system. Simply disabling it in msconfig is a temporary fix at best.

Reconnect to the Internet when your AV and firewall are active again.

Also, see this post by wannabe1 about not running in DMA mode. This can cause severe performance problems as well.