[rshaffer61]

480 MB RAM

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The ram is just about OK at 480Mb - you will in fact have 512, but 32Mb is being used by your graphics. Therefore 512 - 32 = 480

The processor at 798Mhz is too slow to run Windows and anything else effectively, smoothly and quickly.

Whatever we do it is always going to be slow.
The processor - CPU is the heart of the computer and everything you do relies on its speed.
Although Microsoft orignally said that this was the requirements
The minimum hardware requirements for Windows XP Professional include:

• Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300 MHz is recommended)

To be perfectly honest, even with an analysis of everything you are running and pruning all unnecessary, it is NEVER going to perform like a present day system.

The best advice I can offer is to see this link
http://www.microsoft...mproveperf.mspx

Work your way through the link looking at each other link within.
Then go to this link and follow CAREFULLY the advice
http://www.microsoft...erformance.mspx

Then go here and follow carefully the advice for checking the size of the paging file
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417
In summary, I think you have to accept that it is very much a laptop, to be used when you need a second computer, rather than your everyday computer.
Good luck with it.

Edited by Macboatmaster, 23 March 2011 - 06:37 PM.

[Macboatmaster]

The ram is just about OK at 480Mb - you will in fact have 512, but 32Mb is being used by your graphics. Therefore 512 - 32 = 480

The processor at 798Mhz is too slow to run Windows and anything else effectively, smoothly and quickly.

Whatever we do it is always going to be slow.
The processor - CPU is the heart of the computer and everything you do relies on its speed.
Although Microsoft orignally said that this was the requirements
The minimum hardware requirements for Windows XP Professional include:

• Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300 MHz is recommended)

To be perfectly honest, even with an analysis of everything you are running and pruning all unnecessary, it is NEVER going to perform like a present day system.

The best advice I can offer is to see this link
http://www.microsoft...mproveperf.mspx

Work your way through the link looking at each other link within.
Then go to this link and follow CAREFULLY the advice
http://www.microsoft...erformance.mspx

Then go here and follow carefully the advice for checking the size of the paging file
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417
In summary, I think you have to accept that it is very much a laptop, to be used when you need a second computer, rather than your everyday computer.
Good luck with it.

Edited by Macboatmaster, 23 March 2011 - 06:37 PM.

[greghoffman]

could we do a quick scan to see if anything is still infecting it? she had problems in the past with a virus and i used to have malwarebytes on it, but tried deleting everything that was not necessary until i could get it straightened out. i really do appreciate all your help...and honesty. i understand it is not the fastest machine out there...and this is our only comp at home.

[greghoffman]

i also noticed alot of saved restore points in the defrag screen you had me check for analysis? is that something that clogs up things?

[123Runner]

Everything that Macboatmaster and Rshaffer61 is correct. Based on ram and processor, we won't speed it up much.

i also noticed alot of saved restore points in the defrag screen you had me check for analysis? is that something that clogs up things?

The restore points will have fragmentation to them, but since they are not accessed till needed then they won't create a problem.

[rshaffer61]

could we do a quick scan to see if anything is still infecting it? she had problems in the past with a virus and i used to have malwarebytes on it, but tried deleting everything that was not necessary until i could get it straightened out.

If you want to check for infections that would have to be done through our malware forum.
I suggest you read the 'Start Here' topic found here. With these self-help tools you have a high chance of fixing the problems on your own. If you are still having problems after following Step 3 of the guide, continue with Step 4 and 5 and post in the Malware Forum. If you are unable to run any programs, Please create a topic stating what you have tried so far and that you are unable to run any programs. Also, Please do NOT post the logs in this thread.

If you are still having issues after the malware expert gives you a clean bill of health, Please return to THIS thread and we will pursue other options to help you solve your current problem(s).
Add a link to this topic so that malware tech can see what steps have been taken here

[rshaffer61]

i also noticed alot of saved restore points in the defrag screen you had me check for analysis? is that something that clogs up things?

• Right click "My Computer" and click "Properties." If this icon isn't displayed on the desktop, find it on the Start menu.
• Click the "System Restore" tab.
• Lower the slider bar under "Disk space usage" to adjust the space allocated for system restore points.
• Click "OK" to save your changes.

[greghoffman]

OK thank you all for the great help..you folks rock. i'd love to buy you all a beer!!!!! one last question...is there a way to eliminate any junk she had leftover on this machine? like there are excess files in all kinds of weird places...data files in my pictures...she wasn't well versed in computers.

[rshaffer61]

Download TFC by OldTimer to your desktop

• Please double-click TFC.exe to run it. (Note: If you are running on Vista, right-click on the file and choose Run As Administrator).
• It will close all programs when run, so make sure you have saved all your work before you begin.
• Click the Start button to begin the process. Depending on how often you clean temp files, execution time should be anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or two. Let it run uninterrupted to completion.
• Once it's finished it should reboot your machine. If it does not, please manually reboot the machine yourself to ensure a complete clean.

Background info courtesy of DonnaB Thank you

As for TFC, this is a tidbit of an article I found a while back by a MicroSoft MVP.

TFC (Temp File Cleaner) will clear out all temp folders for all user accounts (temp, IE temp, java, FF, Opera, Chrome, Safari), including Administrator, All Users, LocalService, NetworkService, and any other accounts in the user folder. It also cleans out the %systemroot%\temp folder and checks for .tmp files in the %systemdrive% root folder, %systemroot%, and the system32 folder (both 32bit and 64bit on 64bit OSs). It shows the amount removed for each location found (in bytes) and the total removed (in MB).

Before running, it will stop Explorer and all other running applications. When finished, if a reboot is required the user must reboot to finish clearing any in-use temp files.
-- TFC only cleans temp folders.
-- TFC will not clean URL history, prefetch, or cookies. Depending on how often someone cleans their temp folders, their system hardware, and how many accounts are present, it can take anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or more. TFC will completely clear all temp files where other temp file cleaners may fail.

[greghoffman]

i used to have tfc on this laptop and am familiar with its use..i also use it here at work every nite when i log off.

[rshaffer61]

Regardless of the program you use there will always be some type of residual leftover files that will have to be manually deleted.
Hopefully TFC will get rid of the majority so your work will be minimal at least.

[greghoffman]

I'll do most of these things tonite when i get home from work. then i'll try to get into the malware forum so i can be sure the machine is clean of spyware or anything else. i just want it totally clean so i can start over fresh. i pity the new toshiba with windows 7 we got her to replace this laptop...she loads so much junk on it and ends up with a bunch of toolbars and the like.

[rshaffer61]

Toolbars though convenient are a big source of browser slowdown. I myself don't run any toolbars beside the default address and search ones.
I keep everything in bookmarks or favorites depending on the browser I use. I have a neighbor who has 5 toolbars on her browser and wonders why her browser takes forever to load.

[123Runner]

is there a way to eliminate any junk she had leftover on this machine? like there are excess files in all kinds of weird places...data files in my pictures.

If these are stray data files, excel, notepad, pictures, etc, then the only way to clear those is to either organize them if you are keeping them or to delete them.

[greghoffman]

ok thanks for all your help. you guys are rockstars!!!!!! i' going to try and see if i can an erunt and wait to see who can help me out. have a wonderful day . thanks again.