Can an XP Computer Get Old & Crippled?

I've got a 3-year-old Dell Inspiron 1300 laptop with a Celeron processor, running XP Home, IE 6, and Outlook 2003.

In the last few months, it's gotten progressively slower, with ever increasing freeze-ups that make even simple things like retrieving email feel like swimming through molasses.

I've done all the usual repair moves. My startup programs consist only of Norton antivirus. I've used ATF cleaner. I've checked for viruses (I did have a trojan horse a couple of weeks ago but got it removed and started new restore points, etc.). I defragment. I've run registry fix, spybot and Adaware. I update Windows and IE and Office frequently.

I mean, I SHOULD have a lean and mean machine, but it's just awful.

And one other thing: now I can hear the internal hard drive whirrin g and whining all the time -- something I don't remember it doing before.

Is there anything I'm not thinking of?

I do have an XP install disk so I suppose I could wipe and reinstall all the programs -- my programs were originally installed over Dell's XP using Aloha Bob's PC Relocator Ultra, so maybe there's some corruption there (although why it used to be fast and is now sluggish I can't say).

Or I wouldn't mind buying a new and more powerful laptop, but then I'd have to either use Vista on it -- which could be problematical since I use XP home on my office desktop -- or wipe the new machine and install my XP on it. But then I might have driver problems with the new laptop, right?

I'm uncertain where to go from here. Advice is appreciated.

 

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model ME051
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 13 Stepping 8 GenuineIntel ~1496 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. A06, 2/26/2006
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111) "
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 113.37 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 1.20 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

 

Hi dkline,

This is Mike from the Norton Authorized Support Team.

Can you please tell me what version of Norton AntiVirus you have installed?

If you are using a pre-2009 version of Norton AntiVirus and have a valid subscription, you are entitled to a free update to the 2009 version for the remainder of your subscription, which is strongly encouraged.

Please check the version of Norton AntiVirus you have installed, and then log in to your My Norton Account via the link below, to check your subscription status and let me know. If you do need to update, I can then priovide you with the instructions to do so.

My Norton Account

You may also want to check your computer for other third-party, real-time antivirus or security software, as it may be causing a conflict with Norton AntiVirus. You should never have more than one real-time security application installed and running at the same time.


Thanks,
Mike

 

Thanks, Mike. I'm still using NAV 2005 -- mainly because in 2006 when I tried to upgrade to NAV 2006 I had some problems and went back to the 2005 version.

Is there some compelling reason to upgrade to NAV 2009?

 

Hi dkline,

First of all, the 2005 version of Norton AntiVirus is no longer supported, and unless you purchased a subscription beyond your original subscription, then you are not receiving the latest definition updates and could have a newer infection on your system which may be contributing to the slowdown. Norton products are sold on a subscription basis, which means that as long as you have a valid subscription, you are entitled to free product and definition updates for the life of your subscription to protect you against the latest threats that appear every day.

I am on this forum to provide technical support for Norton products only. I will however tell you that the 2009 version of all Norton products have been streamlined and contain many new and enhanced features to keep your computer protected. The 2009 products are also very lean on system resource usage and they install in about 1-2 minute "s total. The LiveUpdate feature runs automatically in the background when your computer is idle, and a new feature called "Pulse Updates" automatically downloads and installs definition updates in the background every 5-15 minutes.

Since you are using an outdated version of Norton AntiVirus, your computer is not secure against threats, so I would strongly suggest that you consider upgrading to the latest version.

Thanks,
Mike