Hogdogs, I feel your pain... as I struggle with the elderly computer I use to run my business, such as it is. (I could prolly afford to replace the machine, at least with a newer used one... but then I'd have spend hundreds to "upgrade" all the dang software to newer versions that have "features" I don't need or want... not gonna do it, not in this economy I'm not.)
More information might let us help you better: What operating system does your machine run? Are you getting IE error messages even although you're using Firefox? (I take it you're not actually using your "defunct" IE. Firefox is a way better browser, anyway) If you're using Firefox, which version?
There's a lot you can do to clean up your machine. Just getting rid of spyware and third-party cookies may make it run a lot faster. The problem here is that this junk has a way of getting into your machine, even if you're careful about what sites you visit. Some "good" sites allow third parties to download cookies that track where you go (and slow down your machine while they do it), so while visiting dangerous sites is, well, dangerous, visiting only sites you believe are safe doesn't necessarily protect you. And if you don't have an up-to-date firewall, your computer can be accessed by other computers which can download nasty stuff, Trojan horses and the like, and you won't even know they were there until your computer stops working right.
There is some good, free anti-spyware software out there... Spybot Search and Destroy is excellent, and requires no paid subscription even for updates. But there
is malware that'll sneak into your registry and prevent Spybot from opening -- and it's hard to get rid of (don't ask me how I know...
).
Spyware Doctor isn't bad either, especially for getting rid of unwanted cookies.
It would also be worthwhile to spend a little money ($30-40) on a good registry cleaner... running one regularly also does wonders to speed up the old machine.
And as long as I'm plugging things -- The "Web of Truth" add-on for Firefox is a useful tool to help you stay away from dangerous sites, it's a clever rating system that works with Google...
"Get a pro to fix it..." ?! Um, yeah, right. Nice idea, Thomme, but not on what folks like us make.
