If your computer's performance has decreased since the time you first purchased it, it may be affected by software you may have recently installed. If you have recently installed software and your computer is running slowly, refer to the Dell Troubleshooting Wizard: "How to Troubleshoot When Applications Do Not Run Correctly in Microsoft® Windows® XP" Wizard ID: 109134.

	Note:
	This does not apply to software programs pre-installed on your computer.

Your Windows XP system may be slow because of small external computer programs called "malware." Malware includes a variety of harmful programs, including spyware, adware and viruses, that can interfere with the operation of your computer. If you suspect you may have malware on your computer, refer to the following article to improve your system's performance.

For general help and identifying malware, refer to the Dell Knowledge Base Article: "Remove Malware for Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista" Article ID: 277075.

1      Click

start

, point to  All Programs, point to  Accessories, point to  System Tools, and then click  Disk Cleanup.

2      If the Select Drive window appears, click the  (C:) drive, or the drive you want to clean up, and click

OK

, otherwise move on to Step 3.

3      After Disk Cleanup scans the hard drive for files that can be cleaned, select one or more of the following file types:

•  Downloaded Program Files
•  Temporary Internet Files
•  Recycle Bin
•  Temporary Files
•   Offline Web pages
•   Microsoft Error Reporting Temporary Files
•   WebClient/Publisher Temporary Files
•   Temporary Offline Files
•   Offline Files

4      Click

OK

.

If the computer is still running slowly after ruling out malware recent software installations, malware and inadequate hard disk space, the problem may likely be a hardware issue.

Consider upgrading the computer memory. 512 MB is adequate for basic Windows usage. Memory-intensive tasks such as games, media applications, or productivity software, often require more memory.

To purchase more memory for your computer, go to Parts and Upgrades For Your Dell  and select Dell Memory Selector under the Additional Links section.

The following steps provide a controlled method to determine the application that is causing problems with your computer:

1. Click Start and then Run.

2. Type msconfig, and click OK to display the System Configuration Utility window.

3. Verify that Normal Startup is selected. If the Selective Startup is selected, ensure that the Load Startup Items checkbox is checked.

4. Click the Startup tab.

5. Click to uncheck the top five programs listed, and make sure to leave all other programs checked.

6. Click Apply and then Close to display a dialogue box that prompts you to restart the computer.

7. Click Restart, and monitor your computer's performance.

8. Repeat steps 1-3 if the problem still exists. If the problem still exists, then the five unchecked programs have been ruled out as possible sources of the problem.

9. Click to uncheck the next five programs, making sure to leave all other programs checked.

10. Click Apply and then Close.

11. Click Restart, and monitor your computer's performance.

12. Repeat steps 1-3 and 8-10 until the problem no longer occurs, which means that a program in the last group of disabled programs may be causing the problem.

13. Click to recheck one of the disabled programs in the last group.

14. Click Apply and then Close.

15. Click Restart, and monitor your computer's performance.

16. Repeat steps 1-3 and 12-14 until the problem reoccurs. The last enabled program may be causing the problem with your computer.

17. Click to recheck all of the other disabled items. You probably need to perform additional troubleshooting on the program to determine how to resolve the problem.

To troubleshoot slow performance on your computer, the following articles are available from the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

• Maintenance tasks that improve performance

In addition to the Microsoft resources for slow performance, you have the additional Dell Support options:

• "System Has Slow Performance" Wizard ID: 293257

• Contact Dell