therwol Loc: USA

This reminds me that I once had a computer that did the same thing because of faulty RAM. If you have more than one stick, try removing one of them to see if the problem resolves. The computer will still run with half of the RAM. If this doesn't work, try swapping them and see what happens. This could also be the connection between the RAM and the motherboard. Clean the contacts.

Klickitatdave Loc: Seattle Washington

I recently ran into a similar issue with one of my older laptops and as it turned out there had been a Windows file system corruption that didn't cause a blue screen but did result in a noticeable, sudden slowdown. After much research, I found the solution to the issue. What was suggested was to run the command prompt in administrator mode and use the sfc /scannow command. This will check the Windows installation for corruptions that might impede Windows functionality. It will also repair any issues if it finds them. Occasionally, the sfc /scannow will not be able to repair the issue and that is where the DISM command comes in. This is all well documented on the Web with step by step instructions. I was surprised on how easy it actually was to do and it did resolve the extreme, sudden slowdown of the laptop.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Yes, I read all the suggestions and most of them will work, at least in part. That is the thing about a lot of things you do on computers, as Kipling said in his poem "The Neolithic Age" - "There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays. And every single one of them is right!" A lot of what you do on a computer can be done multiple ways.

weedhook

Do you routinely delete your temp files. I have a relatively old computer (not as old as yours) which took forever to start up. I happened to find a piece of paper that recommended deleting temp files to speed up the computer. I had never deleted any and must have had thousands sitting on my computer. Once I deleted them my startup time took a fraction of the time it had previously taken. Now I delete the temp files all the time.

tenny52 Loc: San Francisco

Before buying another PC, you may want to check U-tube on "how to speed up your PC" which shows how without buying any software to RUN %temp%/temp/prefetch/msconfig/regedit/Disk Clean; remove all Notifications; Privacy settings; gaming options off; Change Power settings; control Startup Apps; Advance System settings. etc
I have about the same system as yours and still be able to run CPU above 3.4GHz
You probably have a lot of junk files on your background that slow your PC
Every U-tube shows you about most of the stuff and something new.
If you decide to have a new one, check the refurbished on Amazon i7 with SSD; check if your old RAMs can be used on the new one. Good luck

Laramie Loc: Tempe

This XPS came with what, XP? Did you upgrade to Win7 then Win10? I'd consider creating a recovery drive ( Start, type recovery, select Create recovery drive). You'd need a USB thumbdrive with several GB. That gives you an installable image without all the cruft you might have gathered through the years. Reinstall programs, move data appropriately, and you're done.

Of course, if you didn't upgrade to 7 then 10, that might not be your issue.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

AnotherBob said Within the past week, all activity has nearly stopped.
Well that is to be expected since you have not rebooted since 2009 !!

The new AI programs really are demanding. Time to build your DIY computer sing last year older gaming parts. Search and you will find recommendations based on your budget. I went with MSI ... AMD Chip... at least 16 gig of memory, and an entry level NVIDIA graphic card with 4 gig of onboard memory ... perhaps $200.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I saw a video about that last night. Let me find it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxE1hoNSdPo

And - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkdtIPAVCc4

frangeo Loc: Texas

I had this problem as well. 1. Clean out your registry. 2. clean out all your PUP's with something like Malwarebytes. 3. run System reset software. Got my old computer back to normal.
Hope this works as well for you as it did for me. Good luck

OldSchool-WI Loc: Brandon, Wisconsin 53919

__________________________(reply)

I use an older system than yours and am "still" happy as a clam---"so far."

I have used Panasonic Toughbooks and currently am typing on a Panasonic CF-51. They are built business man knock around strong--but not military. That said---I still get by with XP-Pro-SP3---but use peripheral drives not to exceed 500GB. I use a dozen of those plus ever so many 32GB memory cards. The Toughbooks have four USB ports so I can plug in my many storage drives at once. I don't defrag as one respondent has mentioned to you to avoid. There is a rub even getting a browser for commercial purchases running EX-Pro-SP3. For ordinary browsing I use Mozilla Firefox and Seamonkey. But upgrades are no longer available for XP----SO I USE----the Mypal browser which has the scripting required for modern secure commerce. (I discovered Mypal on a site called "XP-forever") I merely move the addresses to Mypal when a commercial site seems to be recalcitrant. I expect sooner or later I will have to upgrade---but certainly not to the latest. I have all my software working and it is 32 bit. I presume I will upgrade to some later faster Toughbook---but will continue with what I have as well. I would rather buy cameras I like rather than a mere computer. I have a new monitor for better graphic viewing--although the laptop displays are quite adequate. The Toughbooks, have a DVD burner/player, also. So in summary, my advice is to use more partitions if your C is a terabyte and keep all installations in partitions or peripherals. Use a program like "Partition Magic" to move around or create new partitions assuming your C-drive is not already full at 1 T.----Good luck.---------ew

Laramie Loc: Tempe

Another thought, how much free disk space do you have, in particular on the C: drive? You updated LR then all of a sudden things slowed down. Maybe you disk is approaching full?

R.G. Loc: Scotland

It might be worth having a look at the BIOS which you can access by switching the PC on and repeatedly pressing Del until the BIOS screen shows. That will show you if all of your RAM is active and it would also show you if any of the cooling fans are malfunctioning. Check the CPU temperature while you're at it.

anotherview Loc: California

Agree. Eventually, the software outruns the hardware.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The best solution would be to wipe the drive and reinstall Windows - clean. Of course, you'd have to reinstall all your programs, meaning you would have to find all those key codes.

BebuLamar

And those CD/DVD that the software came from or where the installation files you downloaded. Yeah it's take time and effort but it's the most effective way. However, most people don't want to do that. But installing programs don't have to be done right a way. You can install those that you use often right away and then install the ones you don't use that often as you need them. There are a lot of programs in one's computer that isn't used in a long time.