Can you run this program it may clean out a lot of junk, an give us more of an idea of what problems may be present

Please download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to your desktop. Click here
Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
 Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
 If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
 Once the program has loaded, select "Perform Full Scan", then click Scan.
 The scan may take some time to finish,so please be patient.
 When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
 Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
 When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart.(See Extra Note)
 The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.
 Copy&Paste the entire report in your next reply.
Extra Note:
If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove,you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts,click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process,if asked to restart the computer,please do so immediately.

I gave you the malwarebytes information cause it's probably best to address the slow computer issue first, rather then what appears to be a possible Abobe flash player issue. If you address that first other problems will fall into place and the computer as a whole will be easier to to work on.

zep516: thanks for the info!

Update: I don't know what had happened, but somehow my Adobe and Java were not listed in the firewall (but used to be) so after I added them, redownloaded both of these and restarted, it is now working again. Thanks!

Good news,

In the mean time if still slow computer issues see link below, I would bookmark or favorite it and refer to it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Slow computer

zep516, thanks for that slow computer link also.

Just want to say (and this maybe this should be in a new post) that I did an analyze disk defragment; it said that I should do one on this volume. But when I started it, I got this message:

"Volume PRESARIO (C:) has only 5% free space available for use by disc defrag. To run effectively, disc defrag requires at least 15% usable free space. There is not enough disc space to properly complete the operation. Delete some unneeded files on your hard drive and then try again. Do you want to run disc defrag now anyway?"

Any idea on how I should go about to delete unneeded files---like which ones can I remove without ruining my machine? If I go into add/remove section (which would be my guess) how should I handle that? I'm just having such a difficult time with this. Thanks!

Those files are most likely the files you created in the my docutments folder, pictures, word docs ect.

Run those cleaner tools on that link ccleaner or ATF those will clean up temp files ect.

Thankyou for using that link

Why not remove some programs you never use? These programs can be huge so even removing just a couple of obsolete programs may get you over the 15% free space margin, better if yo had 20% though then you have space for more personal files as they are created.

How big is your hard drive? Click Start, click My computer for the answer.

248 MB of RAM...that's not much, is it?

I have 4 kids and my two older ones put a lot of things on here. They're using my digital camera to make short movies and put them on Kodak (this probably accounts for a lot of my problems, right?). They also draw and save under Paint and write and save stories in WordPad. Does it matter how many things you have listed under favorites?

I guess I'm just scared of deleting something important.

I appreciate every piece of help and information that's offered. Somehow between me learning to type (back when there were no computers, only typewriters) and how a computer actually works, I surely must have missed something major inbetween. Feel like I really should go back to school and learn this --- if you can teach an old(er) dog new tricks!

Beanwabr I think it is great that your children get full use out of your computer. Somehow I suspect you might just have 2 of the best and nearest teachers right there in the house LOL. If your children do not know an answer they have a class full of knowledge at school, some young kids today are very computer savvy.

The 248MB is your memory or RAM as you say, and yes it really is not much. You could add more for a very reasonable price these days and see a good improvement in speed.

What I was wondering about was the amount of free space on the hard drive. When you click Start then My computer it should show you how large your C: drive is and how much free space it has.

With so little RAM and lack of free hard drive space you have very little room for the swap file to work efficiently. When the computer is in use look at the front of the tower and note how much the activity light keeps flashing on and off, this is the hard drive spinning up.

owbist, yes, my two older boys (14 and 12) are smarter than me when it comes to this. It is amazing how much they know! But they're still not too savvy about this part.

Is adding more memory something you can do yourself, and if so, how difficult is it? And, if I did this right, it shows that free space is 1.99 GB total size 33.1 GB.

Thanks for all your help, both of you!

Yes adding memory is very easy. First you need to check your computer manual or Google and find out how much it can take. Then decide how much memory you would like and the price of course. I included the Crucial link below, it can scan your computer and recommend the right type and size of memory for you. You do not have to buy Crucial although it is good stuff.

Installing more RAM is a simple task. The secret is not to be overwhelmed by what you see once the cover is removed and staying calm. If you get nervous just walk away for a few minutes and try later. Here is a tutorial on how to do it. The one difference I have is to tell you to please remove the power cord from the rear after you shut down. That tutorial is older I suspect, in those days switching off was good. Not any more as the newer motherboard continue to get power even after you switch off - if indeed you have a switch any more. Always rest a bare arm or hand on the metal of the case to ground yourself when working inside. This is not to protect you but to protect the delicate electronic parts inside.

Wow! On the hard drive you definitely need to get 5 gigs or more of free space to run anywhere near normal. Don't forget, you can burn some of your data to CDs or DVDs to create more space on the hard drive. DVDs are only pennies these days, as long as you have a DVD burner. If not then use your CD burner to save some data.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crucial memory (RAM) scanner