My desktop computer is running very very slow. . The operating system is Vista. What can I safely run to clean it up?

While the computer is powering press F8 in 1 seconds intervals until you get the Advanced boot menu.
Select Safe Mode with Networking and press enter
Once it is booted up try to navigate around. If it is running at normal speeds, I would say your computer is infested with viruses If it is still running really slow and won't open anything I would say you need to wipe out the computer and re-install windows. Most likely your operating system is corrupted You can try the following to fix operating system problems without a re-install
Open a command prompt (Windows Key, then type cmd ) Type chkdsk /f hit enter, it will tell you the drive is locked do you want to run on next boot. Press Y and enter.
Type sfc /SCANNOW then hit enter. Let it run though and then reboot your computer for the chkdsk to run.
If it is still really slow in safe mode then it's a re-install of windows

IF NOT SLOW IN SAFE MODE (Do this) You can try and clean up viruses in safe mode with the following free programs Run the Full Scan and remove any viruses/spyware you find MalwareBytes (http://www.malwarebytes.org/) SpyBot (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html) Spyware Doctor (http://www.pctools.com/compare/protection/?ref=spyware_doctor_antivirus_compare_winningchallenger&gclid=CN2rsMjwlasCFQJOgwodCUtevw)
Are just a few.
I typically run through about 12 different programs on an infected computer. Then you would want to purchase some good antivirus These are the Top 3 http://www.webroot.com/En_US/index.html http://usa.kaspersky.com/ http://www.bitdefender.com/

Comment back if you have any questions

Based on the specs of your computer I don't recommend that you upgrade to either one of those. You would not want to use Vista because it would run really slow on your computer, and Vista itself is not very good. And if you can't run Vista, you most likely can't run Windows 7 because it requires even more than Vista.

I recommend that you use Windows XP, not only because aside from Windows 7 and Snow Leopard it is my favorite Operating System, it is also the OS that was originally shipped with that specific model computer.

Short answer: Go with Windows XP

Hope this helps!

I suggest you boot your computer into 'Safe Mode with Networking". This can be done by:
-rebooting computer or turning it on if it is currently off
-when you see the bios screen begin tapping 'F8'
-this should eventually bring up a black screen with white text
-choose Safe Mode with Networking

While in safe mode you shouldn't get any pop-ups from Vista AntiSpyware. You should now download the free version of MalwareBytes. Install and allow it to update. Now run a full scan and have it fix any problems that it finds. Reboot your computer and hopefully everything is back to normal.

This has worked on some computers in the past, but this type of virus/malware can sometimes be difficult to get rid of. If this doesn't work you may have to back up all your personal files to another drive and restore/reinstall the operating system.

Hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions or need any further help

Ray

Several things can slow down the computer: overheating, spyware, not enough RAM etc. If you know for sure you have corrupted files were they corrupted by a virus? You may need to reinstall Vista.

Is it slow when you boot up in safe mode? To boot into safe mode hit (usually) F8 while it is booting up. Let it completely boot into safe mode and then reboot again. Now is if it is behaving better.

To get rid of spyware download the free Spybot Search & Destroy from the net, run the update and then run it to dectect and get rid of the spyware. Spyware tries to send info which can slow down everything.

Overheating - does it feel hot? Is the fan running and pushing air?

If it worked fine before it is unlikely you don't have enough RAM. Windows itself needs at least 256mbs to run well without running other problems.

Again if you know files are corrupted, if they are windows files, you might need to reinstall vista.

I believe you had too many files on your computer. I advise to run deframenting your computer every week to speed up your computer and also run scan disk for error to fix some problems. Just go to program files>accessories>system tools>disk defragment. If still slow I advise to reinstall your operating system or ever upgrading it to windows 7 or vista.

Hello,

Try to check if you have installed a driver that makes your system boot unsuccessful. Also try to run it using safe mode by rebooting your Operating system and pressing F8 to enabled the safe mode loading. Otherwise the worst scenario here is to reinstall the Operating system.

Thanks

after switching on the computer press F8 & Choose safe mode to boot the system & Restore the system in previose state & Before doing this make sure u backup the C Drive.


Don't Forget to Vote
Max

Everything I have researched states that your problem is with the installation of SP1 for Vista. Unfortunately the remedy is a reinstall of the operating system.

Windows Vista is the new operative system distributed from Microsoft, following the previous release of Windows XP.

An operative system is the interface between the user (you ) and the computer, that allows you to manage computer hardware resources and peripheral, and manage processes (software) running on your computer.

From the user point of view The operative syste is the environment where you run applications, manage connected devices, storing files and starting and stopping programs.

Vista is the latest OS released from Microsoft. It has a powerful interface, but it can be slow running on old computers. On vista you can also have some compatibility problem when you try to install old devices built for XP, such as printers, scanners etc.

See here

Windows Vista home page

yes i agree with shadowpr, the 32 refers to 32 bit, you may need to run a spyware and virus scan in safe mode (press F8 on start up and highlight start windows in safe mode) or maybe you are low on memory, especially if you are running Vista as sometimes it can be working hard for 5 minutes on boot up causing your system to slow up.

Check what memory you have installed and upgrade if no viruses or spyware are found