Your PC probably just needs a lil' scrubbing, first of all download, update and then run Spybot S&D, this catches most malicious malware and other crap that manages to attach itself to your system when surfing.

Then get Glary's Utilities and run their all in one check up that will remove various bits of rubbish that may have accumulated. Use the start up tool especially and remove everything you believe shouldn't be there on start up, you can google each application running to remove it from starting up.

Then get a copy of AVG anti virus and do a scan, you never know what you may have picked up. I know you go to all kinds of nasty spots online while drunk

Last of all just do a general defragmentation of your HDD via System Tools. It doesn't help as much as it used to, but it's still good to carry out I believe. Hope this helps.

I think she has Vista, farhad-You have to go and back up all yer drivers, cause those are the bitch to find-if you want xp swamp, and the puter came wth Vista, then you have to go on the long and winding road search for drivers-if you have an HP, most of them are on their site if you plug in your model ##, BUT....if it came w Vista, and you are going back with xp, be careful....some of the drivers for components may not work-I found out the hard way, and now the wireless utility does not work in one laptop....

So then we are back to your first problem...that the assholes that charge you too much for the hardware, don't include driver disks or program files in disc form, like in the old days......If I buy a computer, with some operating system..I WANT THE DAMN DISKS I PAYED FOR MICROSOFT....ASSHOLES!!!

Hey, just throw it out and get a mac, Bob's yer proprietary uncle, who has great support I hear..., eh???
Mac really is better-more stylish desktop, more heart...."Once you go Mac, you won't go back." Right dotdude???

hate my pc's.....

I tried the first two things Farhad said. It cleaned a lot of things out. The computer doesn't run any better though The AVG couldn't be installed it said until I ditch Mcafee

Then ditch McAfee... it's a piece of fecal matter.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Second ditching McAfee bloatware for the slim, trim and free AVG.

Thanks, I'll do this today

Ubuntu is immune to the spyware/viri Windows machines get. Hopefully you didn't lose apps/data. If most of your work (or "work", like videosift) is web based, it's probably all you need.

My wife's powerbook has eaten two hard drives- total loss- in a year. She was in a deep funk the second time. So we signed up for Mozy... online automatic backup. The $5/month is worth it, as I know I don't have the discipline to do regular backups.

Dust buildup causing too much heat is a big problem which, to the layperson, often resembles having a virus or spyware on your machine. It can make a computer than was running fine last week start chugging and wheezing on simple things like loading a web page.

Often all it requires is to take the case outside and thoroughly blow all the dust out of it. Especially try to clear the CPU cooler of any buildup between the cooling fins.