Craig wrote:
>Maybe it is just time for a new pc.>>


Reboot and try running some of your problem progs in Safe Mode. (Some may 
not run).

If now OK, then you know it's something loading at startup and not too 
basic---very likely a fatal combination of 2 or more things like drivers 
conflicting.

When you say you've "Tried all the usual things" that doesn't help us 
much---someone may have a solution (like the above) that you haven't done. 
Have you scanned for rootkits, for example. Disabled Task Scheduler and 
unneeded
services such as Fast Indexing? List everything you've tried.

Printer drivers can be a pain sometimes. If they get stuck in a printing 
loop, this can be invisible to you but tie up CPU.
Especially if you have any remnants of old disused printers still hidden in 
the system. Check Device Manager for anything like that.

Does XP cold-boot OK?---should be under 1 minute from power on to desktop. 
Slow bootup may help pinpoint the cause.

  If the worst comes to the worst, just reformat and start again---cheaper 
than throwing the machine away.

Don Penlington
 From the Beach at Surfers Paradise in sunny Queensland.
Computer tutorials, local scenery,  and other things at my website:
http://users.tpg.com.au/deepend/index1.html

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