Log-ins and e-mail bogging down in XP after using for a while

Hi,
2.2 G, 256 Mb Ram, 256 Kb Qwest/US Family DSL, Win XP Home, & usual assortmant of software and utilities.

Ok...
I installed Win XP on this machine after having mega trouble with Win 2K Pro. As fas as an OS, it seems Ok, but I have some concerns.

1. After a few hours of use, and or just being on, the DSL log-in and e-mail downloading slows down to a crawl (at best), and at times actually hangs. The only remedy so far, seems to be a reboot, and then for a time everything seems fine. Shortly, however, it will happen again. Either the attempted log-in fails, the server/page could not be found and a time-out occurs, or the e-mail hangs (OE 6.x) at: Searching for Host, or, sometimes on: Authorization in process. Like I said, it all works fine then after a reboot (Restart). Am I running short of memory? Or is it something else.

2. I did a Defrag, and as a result I lost the InCD driver, (Packet Writing software packaged with Nero). After I re-installed it, so far it seems Ok, but I am leary of diiung anouther Defrag. The Defrag also messed up all of my Desktop settings, which I had to redo.

3. In IE 6.x, after a few sessions, the toolbars get all messed up, and no matter that I have "checked" those that I want and locked them, they no longer load when I invoke the browzer. I'm not sure if this is an XP problem, but I didn't have anything like this when I was using ME on a Compaq machine.

So, I guess that's it for now.

Thanks in advance.

Clayton

As to #3 read the toolbar entries here:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/IEFAQ.htm


As to #2 are you using the XP defragger? How was it that you suspected the Defrag wiped the driver?
What exactly happened to your Desktop?


As to #1 256 Mb RAM is the general minimum for XP but should be OK unless you have onboard graphics that are sharing the RAM.
If this is a continuing issue I guess we can rule out your ISP as the problem.


It might be advantageous to post a Hijackthis log in our HijackThis section just to check it out:

Please follow the instructions HERE & then post your log in a new thread in the Spyware, Adware, Viruses and HijackThis Logs section.
(Not in this section please).

Hi,
Thanks, I'll check out the toolbar links.

As to #2 are you using the XP defragger? Yes
How was it that you suspected the Defrag wiped the driver? Immediately after the Defrag, the InCD didn't work, and was in fact gone, at which point I reinstalled it.
What exactly happened to your Desktop? After the Defrag, the settings were all changed, like: font size & stye, background, scheme, etc. All had to be reset.

As to #1 256 Mb RAM is the general minimum for XP but should be OK unless you have onboard graphics that are sharing the RAM. No graphics that I am aware of.
If this is a continuing issue I guess we can rule out your ISP as the problem. It would seem so

I'll check on doing the Hijack, but will that reveal something that would cause bogging down like this?

Thanks.

Clayton

Rather than just fishing for ideas a HijakThis log will either find or dismiss many possibilities.

So that is the first thing I would suggest. When you get the all clear in that section return to this thread & we can pick it up from there.