Hi, I have had my laptop for roughly 3 years now and it has gradually become slower and slower, with more and more problems. I presume this is largely my fault for filling it with random programs, as well as having a lot of things installed and files that I don't know whether I can keep or not! I will try to summarise below what seem to be the main problems and errors:
1) (Almost) Nothing will update!
For a while now, I have not been able to install any windows updates - every time I turn off my laptop I am asked if I want to do so, but every time there are 3 that don't install. Interestingly, these are all related to Microsoft Office 2003. I can only presume that some important files are missing, as at different times I have not been albe to properly use Excel, Word and Powerpoint. The main problems I have had is that sometimes when I try to run one of these programs, windows installer tries to install them as if they aren't already on the system, and yet at other times they load up fine! As my laptop was 'ready prepared' for my university, i don't have any of the installation cds, and so can't try reinstalling MS Office.
Windows updater isn't the only thing not updating - none of my virus scanners will either, which includes AVG Antivirus, Spybot, Zone Alarm, and Adaware! Consequently the AVG Antivirus Internal Virus Database is always out of date and every time i try to update it I get the following error message:
"Update was unsuccessful. Can not initialize the update interface. Installation of AVG Free Edition is probably damaged. Please reinstall AVG Free Edition."
Naturally I have followed these instructions several times, but the same error message keeps coming up! On a (possibly) related note, when AVG scans my system, it finds a particular file and the word 'change' is written underneath the heading 'result/infection'. I can add a print screen if this would be simpler, but the file is: C:\WINDOWS\system32\shell32.dll. Naturally, as this seems to be a system file and I don't know that much about computers I have just left it rather than risking deleting it or anything! But I just wondered if this could be relevant?
Adaware, Spybot and Zone Alarm will also not update, but Adaware only finds tracking cookies when performing even a deep system scan.
2) Generally slow system
I appreciate that this might be down to me trying to make what is a fairly basic laptop do too much at once, but I experience constant freezing whenever I try to open up a new program when already doing something. For example, loading up MSN now would mean I couldn't type and my internet browser would freeze until it was fully loaded up! It takes a good 5 minutes before I can use my laptop after logging in, and I am having to constantly copy what I've written so far so I don't lose it if the computer crashes! I notice it is especially slow at loading up My Computer or any file on the system, sometimes searching for files in a folder for ages and then eventually freezing and forcing me to end task...even Task Manager can take an age to load up!
Furthermore, my C:\ drive is almost completely full and I can't work out what is taking up all the space, and infact what I need and don't need in terms of programs!
3) System properties/features
I thought I would list any possibly relevant details of my system:
IBM Thinkpad laptop
Windows XP (SP2)
Microsoft Office 2003
Processor - x86 Family 6 Model 13 Stepping 6 ....1498Mhz
Physical memory - 512MB; available - 176.93MB
I also have a 250GB external hard drive (but have had problems before this was present!)
If you've managed to read all that, well done and thank you! I know there's a lot of stuff there, but if anyone can help me with any of that, suggest solutions or wants to request further info, just let me know!
Thanks a lot!
Luke
1) (Almost) Nothing will update!
For a while now, I have not been able to install any windows updates - every time I turn off my laptop I am asked if I want to do so, but every time there are 3 that don't install. Interestingly, these are all related to Microsoft Office 2003. I can only presume that some important files are missing, as at different times I have not been albe to properly use Excel, Word and Powerpoint. The main problems I have had is that sometimes when I try to run one of these programs, windows installer tries to install them as if they aren't already on the system, and yet at other times they load up fine! As my laptop was 'ready prepared' for my university, i don't have any of the installation cds, and so can't try reinstalling MS Office.
Windows updater isn't the only thing not updating - none of my virus scanners will either, which includes AVG Antivirus, Spybot, Zone Alarm, and Adaware! Consequently the AVG Antivirus Internal Virus Database is always out of date and every time i try to update it I get the following error message:
"Update was unsuccessful. Can not initialize the update interface. Installation of AVG Free Edition is probably damaged. Please reinstall AVG Free Edition."
Naturally I have followed these instructions several times, but the same error message keeps coming up! On a (possibly) related note, when AVG scans my system, it finds a particular file and the word 'change' is written underneath the heading 'result/infection'. I can add a print screen if this would be simpler, but the file is: C:\WINDOWS\system32\shell32.dll. Naturally, as this seems to be a system file and I don't know that much about computers I have just left it rather than risking deleting it or anything! But I just wondered if this could be relevant?
Adaware, Spybot and Zone Alarm will also not update, but Adaware only finds tracking cookies when performing even a deep system scan.
2) Generally slow system
I appreciate that this might be down to me trying to make what is a fairly basic laptop do too much at once, but I experience constant freezing whenever I try to open up a new program when already doing something. For example, loading up MSN now would mean I couldn't type and my internet browser would freeze until it was fully loaded up! It takes a good 5 minutes before I can use my laptop after logging in, and I am having to constantly copy what I've written so far so I don't lose it if the computer crashes! I notice it is especially slow at loading up My Computer or any file on the system, sometimes searching for files in a folder for ages and then eventually freezing and forcing me to end task...even Task Manager can take an age to load up!
Furthermore, my C:\ drive is almost completely full and I can't work out what is taking up all the space, and infact what I need and don't need in terms of programs!
3) System properties/features
I thought I would list any possibly relevant details of my system:
IBM Thinkpad laptop
Windows XP (SP2)
Microsoft Office 2003
Processor - x86 Family 6 Model 13 Stepping 6 ....1498Mhz
Physical memory - 512MB; available - 176.93MB
I also have a 250GB external hard drive (but have had problems before this was present!)
If you've managed to read all that, well done and thank you! I know there's a lot of stuff there, but if anyone can help me with any of that, suggest solutions or wants to request further info, just let me know!
Thanks a lot!
Luke
sorry 
