Computer help - any geeks here?

[kenyantykoon]

you do not have to be a geek to see that there is a big problem with those processes. 60 executables means that you are running 60 programs and this may be the reason why the computer is too slow. there is a possibility that there is malware installed in the computer, so what you do is get a very good and updated untivirus an scan the computer and if all else fails format the hard drive partition where the software is installed. this is a little extreme but is leaves the drive totally clean. do not overdo i because it wears the hard disc away faster
ps; i am no computer expert but i have tried the above and they have worked with some degrees of success

[Seeker]

If there are some red X's or Warning signs, how do you go about fixing them? Last night I had problems with Yahoo IM, which I don't normally use directly except when someone wants to share pics. Otherwise, I use Yahoo in Trillian. There are also some warning signs earlier in the month, but I'm not familiar with the source. This is in the Application area. In Security there are lots more red X's. Other than Firefox crashing for no apparent reason, the system has been running just fine ( I play lots of movement type games....to keep the old brainpan working ).
Where's a good place to learn about these errors?
Thanks for the help!
IDLaura
P. S. This is a custom system I built 5 yrs ago: MSI pentium mobo, 3.2 gb processor, 1 gb RAM, XP Pro on a 180 gb hd partitioned as D:\ (only 22gb used.....need to get more music put on this thing...but thinking of building me a new system and giving this to my daughter)

Red X's in the Application area of Event Viewer have more to do with the OS than with hardware. They can be caused by something as simple as "when the application starts up," this particular operation (as identified by the red x) could not start at this particular moment in time.

If you click on the Red X item, there a Microsoft link, where you can get more info on the specific error. But in the Application section, I wouldn't worry about the red x's or yellow warnings too much.... unless it identfies one particular application or another. In which case, I'd remove that application and then re-install it. If the Red X's persist after that, then I'd recommend checking with the manufacturer's website as to whether or not any patches or upgrades are available for that application.

The place where most Hardware issues get reported is in the System log of Event Viewer. That where you might be able to find such things as hard disk drive errors, power errors, memory errors, etc. Those are more important to pay attention to.

[Seeker]

you do not have to be a geek to see that there is a big problem with those processes. 60 executables means that you are running 60 programs and this may be the reason why the computer is too slow. there is a possibility that there is malware installed in the computer, so what you do is get a very good and updated untivirus an scan the computer and if all else fails format the hard drive partition where the software is installed. this is a little extreme but is leaves the drive totally clean. do not overdo i because it wears the hard disc away faster
ps; i am no computer expert but i have tried the above and they have worked with some degrees of success

60 processes does not mean 60 programs. There are many tasks or processes that use the same executable program.

This site below explains services necessary for WinXP operation.

Windows XP x86 (32-bit) Service Pack 3 Service Configurations by Black Viper

MS "loads" or has enabled by default a whole bunch of processes that a normal person may never use. Many of us "IT knowledgeable folks" set many of these services to "manual" start. Essentially we optimize Windows for those services that we know we will use -- at least I do so immediately after a fresh install.

[Seeker]

"wears the hard drive faster"?

There's actually no contact between the head and the hdd platters. You cannot "wear away" a hard disk drive "faster" by doing any activity such as formatting a drive. The laser is a beam of light; not a physical touching.

Every hdd has a MTBF rating (mean time between failure). Those rotations per minute (RPM) coupled with the MTBF determines the life of the drive.

Also such things as movement of the computer while the hdd is spinning can cause problems.... but ultimately a "format" will not "wear" the drive.

[davecc]

Many things you could do:

-Uninstall unnecessary software
-Install and run Spybot S&D and SuperAntispyware
-Add extra ram (really cheap on ebay) it sounds like your computer uses So-DIMM DDR memory
-Remove toolbars
-Replace norton/mcafee with Free AVG.

Hope that helps.