Expert: Keith Davis - 4/23/2009

Question
hello, i have a p4 dell machine and running windows XP. but it seems to be running very slow. even after formatting and reinstalling the Operating  System. i want to know if it is a virus. and can you help me with a good antivirus. i use mcafee before, free download though but i hear it rather makes the machine slower. please can it also be my memory? i have a 256RAm. thank you in advance.

Answer
First of all you don't have enough RAM. Windows XP needs at least 256mb to even operate. With a P4 and probably at least an 800mhz FSB, 256mb of RAM is a bottleneck. I would find out what kind of RAM is in the machine by entering the make and model number at www.crucial.com and put at the very least another 256mb stick of RAM. If you want a very fast machine with no chance of bottleneck I would put the maximum amount of RAM that your system will hold (probably 1-2GB).

A good free anti-virus that is rated better than McAfee is AVG. You can download it from this link: http://www.filehippo.com/download_avg_antivirus/

Let me know if I can help you further.

Keith