If you have a slow computer, there are some things you can do to clean it up even without much computer knowledge. I thought I'd write up a how-to for anyone who wants to know. It's time consuming, but you can always quilt while these are running. And you can do one step, then stop and use the computer, then do the next step the next day or whenever.
0. If there is visible dust on the outside of the computer, get it off, especially off the vents. You can do this to start or while the anti-virus or some other program is running.
1. Make sure your anti-virus program has all the latest updates. Usually double-clicking on the icon will bring up a button you can click to check. Otherwise, visit the anti-virus company's website and search on "update" to get them. Download and install them.
2. Clean out your browser cookies and cache. In Internet Explorer, open your Tools menu, go into Internet Options and click on Delete. Then delete the temporary files and cookies. (You can leave the cookies, but your anti-virus program will probably flag them as a possible threat, so don't panic if you see that.)
3. Run a full virus scan. This can take a few hours. If it comes back showing viruses, I'd write them down and search on the anti-virus websites for a free removal tool. If you just quarantine them, they still take up space on your hard drive.
4. If you don't already have it, download and install the free MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, which is like an anti-virus program for adware and spyware. Even if you don't mind ads, they (and spyware) can really slow down your computer.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
5. Run a full scan with this, too. Again, it can take a few hours. Wipe out any spyware or adware it finds. (I have Norton, and this finds things my Norton doesn't.)
6. Go into your Control Panel to get to Add & Remove Programs. (Start menu for XP users.) Let it load, then scroll through to see if there are any programs you don't want.
DON'T delete with wild abandon! If you're not sure what a program is or does, leave it there. You can always research it later to find out if you need it. But if you are sure you don't need or want something, get rid of it.
7. Restart your computer again to get all that work out of memory.
8. Now it's time to defragment your drive.
Stay with me, even if those words made your eyes roll back into your head! In Windows XP, click on your Start menu, then All Programs, them Accessories, then System Tools, then Disk Defragmenter. Select your hard drive. Then click on Defragment. Again, if your drive is very large or very fragmented, this can take hours.
9. I would restart again, just to be careful. Then see if things don't load faster and your baby doesn't work more smoothly.
It's also a good idea to open it up and clean inside, but here you have to be careful not to touch the electronic stuff.
Unplug it first!!! Use compressed air to blow the dust away. Better to leave it if you're not comfortable with this, as you can damage your computer by mishandling its innards.