Possible reason(s) for very slow PC in this case?

[vox345]

1GB RAM 1.5 ghz processor, 8+ year old Dell Optiplex tower. Not a good start, but after a full reformat of windows XP sp2 then updating to sp3 and all the other windows updates and installing basically no programs or any files or even going on the internet to possibly pick up a virus or something, it ‘s very slow right after a full reformat. Freezes up, typing in IE skips letters, sometimes puts numbers instead of letters, have to alt +ctrl+delete frozen IE/programs, etc. I have full antivirus and firewall etc.
I switched out the hard drive and RAM with new ones, and still the same, no fix. Other computers on the same router/network (though network is private) work fine.

 

[Robbieskywalker]

Try putting everything on a hard drive you aren't using and use a blank one, or just wipe the one your using

---------- Post added at 07:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 PM ----------

As In COMPLETE wipe and upgrade to windows 7...

 

[chirkware]

I'm gonna end up sounding like a broken record (second post already on this, and I just signed up today), but when I hear 8 year old Dell locking up, first thing I think is "bad capacitors". Look closely at the capacitors on the motherboard. Are the tops flat, or bulging? Does it look like stuff is oozing out? Google "bad caps" and look at the image results. Do yours look like that?

Don't know what model you have, but the Optiplex GX270 was infamous for this.

 

[vox345]

Try putting everything on a hard drive you aren't using and use a blank one, or just wipe the one your using

---------- Post added at 07:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 PM ----------

As In COMPLETE wipe and upgrade to windows 7...

I reformatted though, and tried a new hardrive and RAM. I don't own win 7.

I'll check the capacitors. it's a gx240
thanks

 

[vox345]

solved. it was CG and norton running simultanously. Though baffling's is why it ran decent with both those plus more programs before i reformatted.

 

[ncru11]

lol, programs are weird sometimes, also Norton always use to get in my way all the time when i had it, not sure about now.