cursor and keyboard slow to appear

[shokan]

Running XP Professional, within the past few days I've had a problem of slow cursor and keyboard behaviour. For example, clicking on a Firefox bookmark folder just now for the dropdown list, I move the pointer to one of the items to make it highlight and there is a delay of a few seconds for this to happen. Another: hovering the pointer over a typing field, the blinking vertical line (to begin typing) is delayed in appearing for a few seconds. Moving a scroll bar down is delayed a few seconds. This happens in Explorer also, not just in an internet browser. Notably, I've had two crashes of Explorer in the past few days, with the "problem... needs to close" and a subsequent Dr Watson message though I do not remember the action that caused it, probably just opening a folder.

I've done all maintenance, optimize and correct problems functions using a well known software (ie CHKDSK, HD defrag, Reg defrag, etc). I've run Avast scan and boot scan. My HD is a 1 T (my Hitachi upgrade six months ago from the smaller original), about half full now. I've uninstalled and reinstalled the latest graphics driver. I've checked for any background apps or processes, none that I could see. Reinstalled DX 9. My high speed cooling fan has been coming on much more often, even at Windows startup.

This is an older computer HP A1514N, 2GB RAM.

Any ideas?

[-pops-]

If the fans are starting too quickly, have you checked for dust clogging fan blades/heat sinks/vents?

[shokan]

If the fans are starting too quickly, have you checked for dust clogging fan blades/heat sinks/vents?

I thought back over what I've done over the past week and remembered I installed ffdshow to help with a VDub import plugin, and enabled libvacodec (I think the name was) for Flash list items. So, I uninstalled ffdshow. A few trips around Explorer and Firefox just now and the problem seems to have been corrected... I think. A few more sessions today and I'll know for sure. Thanks for the dust advice.

[shokan]

The problem remains, actually.

I'm thinking that this PC was never meant to handle a 1 terabyte HDD - which I nstalled a few months back and is now over half full. The manufacturer's original was 320G.

Motherboard manufacturer's name: ECS RC410-M, HP/Compaq name: Asterope2-GL8E.

Pentium 4.

2 G RAM.

I believe the original PS in there now is 300W. I have a 600W PS I could try. Could the low wattage PS with a large new HDD be responsible for delayed screen behaviours? Example: I sweep the cursor over a word in this post so I can delete it and the highlight takes about 5 seconds to appear. Same sort of thing happens in Explorer.

BTW, blasting out the dust and applying new thermal paste seems to have eliminated the high speed fan coming on. Yay.

[shokan]

Forgot to add, it has the ATI Xpress 200.

[-pops-]

I didn't note before that you are using a 1TB hard drive. Why do you have a "C" drive of this size?

By all means use a large hard disk for files and storage but I cannot imagine any circumstances where a drive of this size is needed for day to day "C" drive applications.

You state that the drive is half full. Surely this amount of data is not used on a constant basis, is it?

Try reverting to a smaller "C" drive and use the 1TB drive more for storage, preferably as an external drive that can be switched in and out as required.

[shokan]

I didn't note before that you are using a 1TB hard drive. Why do you have a "C" drive of this size?

By all means use a large hard disk for files and storage but I cannot imagine any circumstances where a drive of this size is needed for day to day "C" drive applications.

You state that the drive is half full. Surely this amount of data is not used on a constant basis, is it?

Try reverting to a smaller "C" drive and use the 1TB drive more for storage, preferably as an external drive that can be switched in and out as required.

Good idea.

Is it true that a weak P4 would have a hard time with a 1T drive and could be responsible for my lag problems?