i would reformat that drive.. sounds like a mess

i did most of the things you guys requested and its helped make the computer run better.. its faster than before and hopefully after work tonight i can finish doing everything else....
How would i go about doing that? never had to do that before.[/b]

In the run command, type %temp% and click OK.....you can safely remove everything in that temp folder.
also, go to C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files. and delete everything there
You may want to delete cookies from: C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Cookies

reformat means wipining EVERYTHING off the drive and starting over, like it was a new machine. if you have the XP installation disc you can do this, just make sure you back up all your data you wanna save

There will also be the issue of having to reinstall anything else he might be using like 3rd party printer drivers, and having to DL all the updates since his machine was new.

A reformat is not something to take lightly.

If it is running windows Vista [I don't thinkit was mentioned the OS] then yes there will be a crap load of problems cause Vista is chock full of problems. Just to run it smoothly takes at least 1 gig of RAM. My sorry machine has but 512 mb. [It struggles to do ANYthing.]

If you've never installed an Operating system, do not reformat. It is not something that should be recommended lightly. It should be saved as a last resort. Even someone with years of experience, such as myself, can screw it up. Right Nate??

There are a lot less drastic measures you can take to improve performance and get rid of viruses, malware, etc....