[bondy]

I am trying to fix a very old PC that is unusable - it's showing 100% CPU usage against explorer.exe and as a result will open virtually no Windows applications, save for Run & Task Manager. PC is running under Windows XP SP1

As the PC is very old i do not intend to go through a painful process of trying to repair the problem (i've already seen some of the suggestions for how to fix it!), however the person i'm fixing it for obviously wants to keep all their documents/pictures etc. before they upgrade.

I do not believe that the traditional windows methods of copying the files onto DVD/CD would work, given that Windows is virtually unusable. I can, however, using the Task Manager, kill explorer.exe to free up CPU, but how do i then go about copying the files off of the PC?

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You could install a third-party file explorer.

Also, it is probably a bad malware infection. Try going to the Malware Removal Forum in my sig and read the topic titled 'You Must Read This Before Posting A Hijackthis Log'. If the steps there do not work, post a log in the Malware Removal Forum.

~Kelvin

[Kelvin]

You could install a third-party file explorer.

Also, it is probably a bad malware infection. Try going to the Malware Removal Forum in my sig and read the topic titled 'You Must Read This Before Posting A Hijackthis Log'. If the steps there do not work, post a log in the Malware Removal Forum.

~Kelvin

[Ltangelic]

I'm not sure about this, but it could be because you have a small RAM (Random Access Memory). For Windows XP, the recommended RAM is at least 1GB. If the RAM is less than 200MB, your computer is literally unusable. Check the RAM, and if necessary, increase it to increase speed of computer.

Also, using Disk cleanup and Disk Defragmenter can help increase the speed of the computer, you can try both ways and see if it works. Alternatively, you can try using Ccleaner to clean up old unnecessary files which can sometimes take up a few hundred MB of space on the hard disk.

Here are the download link and tutorial link for Ccleaner.

http://www.download....4-10780785.html <--- Download location
http://forum.pirifor...?showtopic=1504 <---- Tutorial