Extremely slow, always crashing laptop

Hello,

I have an Acer Aspire 3050 which is about 4 years old now. I use XP.

As of September I started getting a lot of probelms.

1) computer would work fine but after about forty minutes just start crawling, now it just takes long to do anything
2)opening applications takes forever
3)the pop-ups when right clicking takes forever
4)everytime i restart my computer I have to go into to services to turn sound on
5)every other time or so i restart my computer I get a message similiar to this: "Windows Host Processor 32" something like that
6)i started a disk cleanup 10 hours ago and its not even half done

I have done multiple scans and there are no malwares, spywares, viruses, etc. I use AVG free, Error Fix, Super Anti-Spyware.

I am not a very computer literate, so if someone can help me out, that would be great!
 
Slow PC

Hi, A few things you could look at. Do you have much empty space left on the 'C' drive? It's possible after 4 years that it's almost filled with files.
Can you clear out any big files you don't need any more or move them to DVD or to another hard drive? (eg video files)
Have you 'defragmented' the 'C' drive lately? You will need about 10% or more hard drive space to be able to defrag 'C' in a reasonable time.
You can use the Microsoft defragmenter that is in 'Accessories', 'System tools',
but a much faster and more effective one I use, can be downloaded from www.auslogics.com then 'products' tab, then 'disk defrag' or copy and paste this link into your web browser, http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/download/ After you have installed it, use the option 'Defrag and optimise'.
You should notice a difference in your pc's speed generally.
Also download and try 'CCleaner' from www.piriform.com Install it and run it exactly as it is, don't tick all the unticked boxes, it's set up for most users from the word 'go'. I use this one almost daily. Hope this helps.
 
I have lots of space on my C drive, and I keep music/movies etc., on my D drive, which still has lots of space. I just deleted all my movies.

I will do a defrag tonight, and let you know whats up!

Also, when streaming videos on youtube or anywhere else, it just lags, the sound is fine but the video freezes!

Thank you!
Natalie
 
for future reference... deleting personal information will NOT improve overall performance, it will merely clear up disk space.

if you have automatic updating enabled, it should prompt you to download and install the latest software for the OS and other fixes. this will include SP3 if you're on XP so if it's still SP2 there's a good chance auto updating is disabled. you should be able to download all of the drivers for the computer here.
 
To update drivers, you can go into your control panel, system, device manager. Right-click on each entry, and choose 'update driver'. Or you can use a program to do the searching for you, such as 'www.drivereasy.com' but be aware, the free version can be slow to download the biggest driver files, say over 2Mb. To sort out most problems with Video playback, it usually is just a case of downloading the latest, or more up to date than you have, codecs. I have installed these, http://www.snapfiles.com/get/essentials-codec-pack.html
 
After I defragged my laptop, I got a message to update my machine so I did. Video is working really well now too! Applications don't take forever to open either.

I did update to Internet Explorer 8, but it isn't working. Everytime I click on its icon it starts to install it again. Is this because I still have IE 7. BTW my IE 7 won't open either. When I try to uninstall it, it says I'll lose some programs?
 
Good to hear your pc is going faster now. If you are clicking on a program icon, and it is starting to install again, you don't need that one anymore. Just right click on it and choose 'delete'. To launch Internet explorer, go into 'Start', then 'All programs', then to 'Internet Explorer' entry. Right click on it, and choose either, 'Pin to taskbar' or 'Pin to start menu'. From then on you can just click on that icon. Bear in mind you can use other web browsers, there are plenty to choose from. If you have installed a defragmenter, you do need to run it about once a week, or set it to be working automatically. Eg; in 'Smart Defrag' from 'iobit', you can click on 'Autodefrag' icon on the left side of the window, then in the new box that appears, tick the box 'enable autodefrag'. It will then work away, when you stop using the pc for 1 minute, (or what time delay you set). The first time you run a defrag it will take some time to complete, but after that it will be much faster, a couple of minutes usually. www.iobit.com/iobitsmartdefrag.html
In Internet explorer,be sure to have ticked, 'Tools', 'Internet options', 'Delete browsing history on exit', otherwise it can really build up over time. Also 'CCleaner' does a good job at keeping the clutter down. www.piriform.com
 
Sorry to take so long to reply, I went away over the Christmas break.

Thanks again for all your help! My computer is running amazingly.
 
That's good to hear! I have found that it's a constant battle with the PC to keep it running well, but a few well chosen programs will keep the clutter down, and the speed acceptable.
 
I have seen many laptops less than 3 months old have this "slow" problem too. This is due to all the bloatware that come installed on them. Those 60-day trial programs are just that, good for 60 days
 
Defragging has become an old term these days. Registry or system cleaners are more common. In any case Yes, it is good to keep computers clean and running normally
 
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