slow computer

I am sorry if I have put this in the wrong section yet again but there is no
Windows XP on it's own, once you go into the questions drop menu

Even though my compuer isn't connected to the Internet anymore, it is still
dreadfully slow.

In the D Drive (where all the programmes are stored) it has:

Used Memory of 2992271360 bytes
Free Memory of 986746880 bytes
Total Memory 3979018240 bytes

and in the C Drive (where all my files are stored) it has:

Used Memory of 8006052608 bytes
Free Memory of 28014063616 bytes
Total Memory 36020916224 bytes

When I come to selling it, all my files and most of the programmes will be
taken off it. Up until I stopped using it, it was protected by Avast
Antivirus and before that Norton. I ran regular virus scans every month and
Avast was updated every day. Once a month I also defragmented my C Drive.
Given the figures above, is it because I have too much on my computer, or
would there be another reason why it is so slow?

Your valued advice will be most appreciated. Thank you.

Simba

Simba Kali <SimbaKali@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>I am sorry if I have put this in the wrong section yet again but there is no
>Windows XP on it's own, once you go into the questions drop menu
>
>Even though my compuer isn't connected to the Internet anymore, it is still
>dreadfully slow.
>
>In the D Drive (where all the programmes are stored) it has:
>
>Used Memory of 2992271360 bytes
>Free Memory of 986746880 bytes
>Total Memory 3979018240 bytes
>
>and in the C Drive (where all my files are stored) it has:
>
>Used Memory of 8006052608 bytes
>Free Memory of 28014063616 bytes
>Total Memory 36020916224 bytes
>
>When I come to selling it, all my files and most of the programmes will be
>taken off it. Up until I stopped using it, it was protected by Avast
>Antivirus and before that Norton. I ran regular virus scans every month and
>Avast was updated every day. Once a month I also defragmented my C Drive.
>Given the figures above, is it because I have too much on my computer, or
>would there be another reason why it is so slow?
>
>Your valued advice will be most appreciated. Thank you.
>
>Simba

First of all we need to sort out the terminology. In particular
space on the hard drive should be referred to as "storage" and not as
"memory". Memory normally means RAM.

What you have saved on the hard drive is just in storage, just like
papers in a filing cabinet, and unless the disk is getting close to
full there is very little impact on performance because of this.

The reasons for your slow performance are elsewhere.

You did not describe the performance related specifications of your
computer, such as how fast the CPU is and how much RAM is installed.

And while you did mention that you have an antivirus program installed
you did not indicate that you have any antispyware software.

So there are two prime suspects for the slow performance of your
computer:
1. Not enough RAM. If your computer has less than 512 mb of RAM
then you would probably get a performance boost by upgrading to at
least 512 mb.
2. Spyware. Download, install, update and run AdAware (free) from
http://www.lavasoft.de which will find and remove most of the common
spyware. Then get a "second opinion" by going to
http://housecall.trendmicro.com and doing their free online scan. And
if these programs do find some spyware (other than just tracking
cookies) then you should download and install Microsoft's free Windows
Defender from http://download.microsoft.com to help keep your machine
free of this crud in the future.

Hope this is of some assistance.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."