Tech-dummie needs help please!

andyrules

DD has brought her lappie home from college for ME to sort (:D). It's running terribly slow, won't let her download or save anything. Also can't update windows or run firefox.

Disk space shows 12.4 GB used, 3.42 GB free. I'm reluctant to click on 'disc cleanup' in case I erase something important! I've looked at Add/remove programmes and there are dozens of 'Windows XP Hotfix' showing on list, also same for 'Security Update for Windows XP'. Don't know what these are, some have old dates on. She does have quite a lot on it, which she needs, but have no idea if we can ditch these other things.

Can anyone make sense of that?;)

Cheers

Reluctant_spender

Hotfix and security updates are fine.

With clean up you can select what to clean so you will not unistall anything important.

Have you run disc defrag?

Run an anti virus through it too

A good lnk for slow computers - https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic87058.html

andyrules

Can I delete the hotfix and security?
Thanks

Reluctant_spender

I don't - leave them. You running XP wth service pack 2?

andyrules

running xp, don't know about the service pack.

On the add/remove programme there are 15 Hotfixes showing, same date, different code numbers. Security updates for Windows and media amount to too many to count easily! - wondered if these are taking up space?

Reluctant_spender

you need them both - they have patched holes in Windows. You have loads as there are loads of holes -
Do you have anti virus software?

albertross_2

files using space on the hard disk, doesn't cause slowness, you have 3GB free which is plenty, I'd leave the hotfixes.

have you done a virus and spyware scan? how much ram has it got?

try www.ccleaner.com for a cleanup. (untick yahoo toolbar on install), and leave log files unticked when you do a cleanup)

andyrules

Ah, I see, oh dear, lots of holes! She has AVG, it automatically runs daily I think., and runs spybot. Haven't managed to connect to net here, although it's wireless, but seems she can't download anything - will the cc.cleaner fit on? How do I check ram?

Also looked at the disk cleanup thing and there are 'oldchkdsk filed' and 'webclient/publishertemporary files'. Not sure what these are -deleting will give 144 kb.
cheers:D

albertross_2

plug the laptop into your router

ccleaner will fit, 3GB is loads of space

andyrules

albertross, I only have leads with usbs, do I disconnect one of the leads in the router? (not the modem one, lol)

albertross_2

don't you have an ethernet lead?, which router