slowest computer in the world

mikelongford

hi folks - i really hope someone can help me out here.
my machine is xp and its getting slower and slower by the day.
i have the free version of avg antivirus which i update and run daily, it hasnt spotted anything in months.
i have the free version of spybot search and destroy which pulls in very very little (cant remember the last thing it discovered) even though i update it and run it regularly too.
i had adaware SE which ended in december 2007 and i replaced it with adaware 2007 which is the slowest thing ive ever come across, and which keeps telling me that my definitions list is out of date and that i should run webupdate which i do and which then eventally after waiting for anything up to an hour gets around to telling me theres an error somewhere and so the update never comes in.
i wonder if theres an alternative to adaware or do i indeed even need one seeing as i have spybot?
i also have a problem with windows updates. every day when im switching off i get a message saying windows is downloading an update and will switch the machine off when its finished. the only thing about this is thats its been downloading the same update every day since jan 31st 2008 - at least when i go to review my updates on microsofts website i see it listed as
"Security update for microsoft xml core services 4.0 service pack 2
(KB 936181)" over and over again, sometimes twice on the same day,
and going back beyond 31st jan i see other updates which are repeated on that website (kb915597 for instance).
these are all marked as "succeeded" under status.
ive checked in my control panel add and remove programmes, and kb 936181 is shown once in there along with just one other update namely kb927978.
would removing these also remove all those repeated showings on the website?....or is it worth while bothering?
i feel like formatting everything but ive a strange notion that the xp disc that came with the machine isnot the full disc (it is a legal one by the way!) and probably wouldnt reinstall xp
any help would be greatly appreciated folks before i take the hammer from my toolbox and smash the damn machine to little bit
anyone want a box of broken computer bits?
mike

dr.bollocko

It seems that some clever spyware may be blocking a path for your windows update. Though I know that some torrent programs unintentionally do this also.
As regards the speed issue...
Best thing is to ensure that your HDD has space so its not too clogged, running ccleaner will help to clean out the registry, defragging your machine is always a good time waster too. It sounds to me like a re-install may well be the best way to clear this issue, as most would do this every once in a while once things get slow. but maybe format the whole PC and remove the partitions with freeDos first.

biologikal

Depending on the PC manufacturer, there may be a partition (likely hidden and possibly FAT) that has the files to restore your computer to as it was when you got it (an easy way to find out is to right-click MyComputer, click Manage, then go to the disk management area and see how the hard drive is partitioned, if at all - failing that, check the documentation that came with the PC. The disk you *think* may not be a full XP disk, may be a bootable disk to allow you start the recovery console, though some PCs (like HP) have a Fxx hotkey you press during boot that initiates the recovery. If your PC is a big name, check to see if you have this option before doing anything else.

If you have this possibility, you're usually left with 2 options, I think usually destructive and non-destructive, though to be honest, you're as well backing up your personal data, and going with the destructive re-install, then reinstall whatever applications you need after that, then your data.

As suggested, a defrag might sort out the problem, but I must admit that I've found little value in any other software that claims to clear out the dead space and make my PC faster - a fresh reinstall is the only way to go, I think.

mikelongford

many thanks dr bollocka and to biologikal, sorry for delay in replying as i was away from the puter for last few days. will go off and digest all the info you have given me and will have a bash at doing what you suggest.
thanks again lads