My computer (Dell P4 2.4 512 RAM Windows XP) has been running really really slow lately and my desktop picture keeps turning to just a white screen. I tried running about 8 different ad/spyware programs. I had norton but it didnt seem to work right and downloaded Avast Antivirus. None of it has helped. Spending 10 minutes trying to open my web browser is getting really old.


Any ideas on how to fix this before I throw the computer in the driveway and run it over with the truck.

 

Tired AVG (grissoft?) and Spybot?

They work very well for a lot of people. White or Blue screens usually spell trouble.

Every once in a while I get this message, not sure what it means though...?

 

And from time to time I see this one too.......

 

You might try going back to a restore point, some time far enough back that you know you weren't having these issues.

?

 

b 4 ya run it over with the truck, prop up your video cam.... nevermind, take it outside and blow the dust out of that thing, its prolly just gettin hot and plugged with dead dust bunnies. I would also add a program called c cleaner to the computer free dload, and it will rid excess junk from the machine, and get rid of lost reg entries and such. run the analize and the issues, and trust it to remove only what ya don';t need, I never bother to save a backup when it asks and have ahd zero trouble using it in this fashion fo r a year, run it once a week and you will have a snappier machine.

 

Tried both of those with no luck.

 

You might want to try Registry Mechanic.
http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/

 

Stop hanging out with Lary Ellis...

 

hahahaha. now that's funny right there.

He has more computer problems than anyone I've ever known.

 

Might just be time for a good ole' fashioned format and reinstall.

 

Bad idea, never mess with the registry unless you know what you are doing and programs like this usually do more damage than good.

Agreed, if running antivirus and spyware removal tools haven't helped, save all important data and reload he system. I reload my home system every 6 months, and I do all the laptops at work once a year.

 

How full is the hard drive? do a disk cleanup and defrag to start (defrag requires like 15-20% free space to run effectively). I run norton (not my favorite) and lavsoft adaware and have no issues. keep the unnecessary junk cleaned up - do you have a lot of icons on the desktop? Also, the dust thing is a good thought, you should try and clean it once in a while. Clear temp files, internet temp files.... empty recycling bin - disk cleanup should do this....

 

I'd say clear some HD space, and defrag it.

 

already did the disc defrag. Its a 80 gig HD and I have 54 gigs of free space so I know thats not the problem.

How do I got about reformatting the hard drive? I dont really have anything of much importance on this computer other than a few pictures.

 

Ever thought of upgrading RAM. I know that might not be the issue but it couldnt hurt anyhow for today's internet.