sounds like spyware--

you should be running spybot, adaware and microsoft antispy ware every day or at least 1x per week.

if you running xp pro its a ram hog. you need at least 512mb ram but would suggest 1g min.

also run scan disk at least once a week--

i haven't used IE for years.

is a great free program. you can download it here without having to sift through lavasoft's website.

also, there are a some free virus scans available out there via websites but i do not have them in front of me. i will try and post them tonight or tomorrow..

i tried firefox. didn't like it though. it seemed a lot slower than IE. anyone still use netscape?

Thanks all, I am using spy sweeper, and sweep occasionally maybe once a week. That does not seem to help, but I will try firefox and IE tonight, thanks all.

um. IE (internet explorer) won't help you with your problems (i don't think). it seems firefox has spyware preventive features. try TED's suggestion and download - Ad-aware (or Microsoft Antispy), install it and let it search through your files for any hidden stuff that spy sweeper might be missing. the other good thing about ad-aware is they update it frequently so the program stays on top of current spyware tactics.

the current thinking on spyware is that you really have to use multiple packages to catch them all so if your only doing spysweeper your not catching it all; from what i read those 3 are pretty good at catching them all and are the recommended spy coctail -- espec the microsoft. and as ether said -- get the latest definitions before you do it.

i dont think the IE or firefox will change anything. RAM is really cheap especially for a desktop machine. my fathers dell had the same problem and the extra ram [$79] made it move faster than anything. i uploaded SP2 on my xp pro with no problems to existing software packages and only had to make some minor off/on adjustments to some security features.

if you have sufficient ram, and you ran all 3 spywares, you could try http://www.savemybutt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=168 where you download a program called 'highjack this' which analysis what background programs are running. you send them the log [for free/donation] and they will tell you what background programs are running that can be deleted.

thanks TED, that's a nice thread to know about. i've gone through the list of background programs with dell before. if you go to RUN and type msconfig, it will show you everything that is currently running. you can search anything you don't recognize through google (that's what the dell guy did with me)...

I can now open another window, but it's really slow still. I will try TED and Ether's comments. Thanks guys, let you know later.

virtual memory is memory that is actually hard drive space that usually is given a range (say up to 5% of your hard drive) for windows to use as a swap file. it basically is for the storage of... random things (sic).

if you're out of virtual memory, you're actually probably out of hard drive space. which is what the computer is complaining about. virtual memory is extremely cumbersome as it requires the computer to write and erase things from your computer constantly.

clean out your hard drive and i bet it'll run a lot better. (but just a temp solution) get more ram and a new HD.

Does anyone have problems with firefox and flash? Most of the time I cant see flash objects within webpages, but IE6 displays them just fine. Have adjusted preferences in firefox to avoid problem, but it still continues...

Am I right in thinking that some websites [particularly those not built/rebuilt since firefox's recent popularity] havent configured correctly for firefox?

I hate using IE6, but have to... this is really annoying.