Generally, XP laptops has reached their end-of-life point, unless you used it only seldom.
That horizontal line most likely is a hardware issue. That slowness can be hardware also, or it is a malware infection or just the usual overload of running big programs or many programs on an old machine with a slow processor and not enough RAM.
I'd start with the hardware angle. Download and burn a Linux disk (or make a Linux bootable USB-stick if your laptop supports booting from USB) and see if the screen is OK now. If it isn't, it's time for a new laptop, unless the image on an external monitor is good and you don't mind using that.
If it's all fine in Linux, find your install disks (Windows + drivers) and do a clean install of Windows XP to see if it's fast again.
Kees
Hi, my name is Dan White. I am from Edmonton. I am a newly registered member of this community. I want to ask a question regarding my laptop which has become a cause of concern for me. I use Dell laptop and Inspiron model. I have installed Windows XP operating system in my PC. My problem is my laptop runs very slow and it processes information very slow. It gets shut down automatically when I work 2-3 hours. The monitor of the laptop has a horizontal line in on the middle portion. Please tell me the reasons of the problem and suggestions also.
Thanks
Dan White, Edmonton

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