how do i stop my pc from freezing on me every time i enter a program?

Answer 1

Its not clear whats causing the problem, so try a couple of things.
Run an anti spyware scan with all these programs;
http://www.ewido.net - AVG(Ewido) anti trojan.
http://www.safer-networking.org - Spybot Search and Destroy anti spyware. Use the Teatimer settings to protect Internet Explorer, and the Immuniser to stop malware getting on your pc.
Spywareblaster works with Internet Explorer and Firefox. It won't uninstall spyware that is already on your pc, but it will prevent hijacks and other malicious changes to your browser.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com
Plus;
http://www.lavasoft.com - Ad-Aware SE Personal anti adware

Delete any old files that you can, move others to external storage.
Then run Ccleaner, use the Issues tool then the Cleaner.
http://www.ccleaner.com
Instal Winpatrol and use it to cut down the software that loads on Startup. Leave Windows and your security software alone and stop stuff like your office suite etc. It will still be available from the Start menu when you want it.
http://www.winpatrol.com

Defragment your hard drive from Start - programs - accessories - system tools - disc defragmenter. Leave the pc while it runs.

Then restart. This time your pc should be faster to boot and run.
Windows XP needs 512 mb RAM, and even with that you stil shouldn't have too many different programs and windows running at the same time.

Answer 2

check memory usage using task manager. you'll probably find your at 100% Then try running antispyware software such as Adaware or Spybot. This will probably fix the problem. If not you can try deleting all your temp files use the windows disk cleanup util for this, once this is complete run a disk defrag. If this does not help you should use msconfig to determine what gets loaded on startup. If there are items in the list you dont know what they are check this site
http://exelib.com/
what you want here is to remove or disable items you dont want or should not be here.

Answer 3

Bit vague question - but increasing your RAM might help, or virus check might show something using capacity, or some malware might be using your PC as a zombie. Check in Task Manager (CTRL+shift+Esc) and see which apps are running that might be detrimental to performance.

Answer 4

If a virus check doesn't turn up with anything, or (if it does) deleting the virus doesn't help, you need to replace your RAM.