Windows XP Computer Overall Slow, Freezing & Locking Up.

Pretty much what I already said.

I will re-phrase it.

(Plus I have some new info, too.)

Here are the specs for the PC:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&docname=c00232962

This PC is not very new, so its top speed will not come close to today's PCs.

That being said, it appears you have one remaining slot for RAM on your motherboard, so you may purchase the 512 MB stick I mentioned earlier in the thread. It may not make a noticeable difference, though. That is, if you configure MSE a certain way, that might be all you need to do to maximize your performance.

However, if you don't mind spending $20 or so, purchase this stick of RAM:

http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=65B39C24A5CA7304

(The other link from p.8 of this thread you may disregard.)

Of course, you would need to open the case and CAREFULLY pop this into place next to your other stick of RAM.

Perhaps you might want to hold off ordering the RAM as a last resort.

The other thing you can do is configure MSE to not automatically scan OR to have it automatically scan at 3:00 AM. Just right-click the MSE icon in the System Tray (lower right-hand corner of your screen, right next to the clock) and click on Open. Then click on the Settings tab.

Either change the setting so that it scans overnight (like at 3:00 AM) or just uncheck the box so that it NEVER automatically scans (you or your mother can choose to manually scan anytime you feel like). The first option will work as long as the PC is ALWAYS on. Otherwise, just uncheck the box.

MSE always automatically updates (which is a good thing!). And by default, Real-Time Protection is always on (and I do NOT think you should turn it off!).

SUMMARY:

1. You have already done all the important things. You scanned for malware. You uninstalled Norton (which is a resource and RAM hog) and replaced it with the superior MSE. You verified the hard drive transfer mode is still DMA.
2. There is not much else you can do at this point. You can change MSE's settings so it does not constantly run automatic scans.
3. You can always purchase more memory. It may or may not help.

That's about it, Mark!

EDIT:

One final idea:

I have found that Google Chrome is a fast browser. Arguably it is better than Internet Explorer and even Firefox. You might want to install this and have your mother use it to browse the Web.

Here is the link:

https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

Good luck to you both!

So, what should I do then?

The transfer mode for your hard drive is fine.

The only issue I see is that for the time that MSE is updating, your mom's PC slows down. And then when the update is finished, the performance is fine.

She can choose to live with the initial slow performance (which will improve once the update is finished) or you can install extra RAM so that the PC runs better during those times MSE updates.

Another option is to let the PC run 24/7 and schedule MSE updates to occur only during the wee hours of the morning (if that's possible).

The top three processes are as follows: System Idle Process: 99 CPU. firefox.exe: 02 CPU. plugin-container.exe: 00 CPU. firefox.exe: 145,012 Memory Usage. MsMpEng.exe: 26,108 Memory Usage. plugin-container.exe: 20,964 Memory Usage. And again, the numbers keep changing. I know you said don't worry about it. It's normal. But I just wanted to let you know. I turned off and disabled indexing. My mom's computer has 2 Primary IDE Channels and 2 Secondary IDE Channels. The one Primary and one Secondary IDE Channel says in the Current Transfer Mode: Not Applicable. The second Primary IDE Channel says in the Current Transfer Mode: Ultra DMA Mode 5 in Device 0. In Device 1, it says, Not Applicable. The second Secondary IDE Channel says in the Current Transfer Mode: Ultra DMA Mode 2 in Device 0. In Device 1, it says Ultra DMA Mode 2 too.