Do I have a worm?

All I can answer is it's win xp, on a compaq presario 2100 laptop. If you need more info, please tell me how to find it... thanks

are: How come Reg Mech. can find sooo many things to fix?
Do you do alot of Installing programs for trial period & then un-install?? This would leave baggage behind. Do you check these programs are not ROGUES with maleware buried by checking somewhere like Spywarewarriors.com BEFORE downloading? Often they'll include a downloader trojan giving pop-ups or worse. Going for updates(for these) will re-install the malware.See Here List:
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

My HP Laptop (recent) came with so much "trial crapware" it could barely walk !! Not to mention the 57 folders of Back-Web (supposedly to update Logitechs keyboard/mouse/touchpad)which re-installs whenever it calls home( v. frequently). Since same company, I expect you would have no less. It runs just fine without it.
I use CCleaner (just type into search above) to remove the build up accumulated whenever you go to web, and some of it would other never be removed otherwise and will get heavier & heavier. Example: Index Dat. A complete history of everywhere you've gone since day 1.
Similar histories(music/dvd titles) are cached in Media players (all) and many others. MS disk clean doesn't touch much of it. Not uncommon for CCleaner to remove 60 -100 megs of stuff on first pass !
Laptops, because of price/size limitations, often have a relatively small hard drive: 20/30 Gigs & can become pretty loaded up, pretty quickly compared to Desktops(especially if you do alot of movies/dvds etc).
You could check what is running at start up and disable anything un-necessary. My Desktop gets to finished desktop (no hour glass) in < 55 seconds. Despite my best efforts, Laptop takes closer to 1 mim,30secs. (only 1.4 gightz verses 3.0).
Spybot has (under advanced mode>tools) a start-up list and ability to turn off/on each start item for test or permanent. My Dsktp has only 2 AVGs, kernell fault check, & Tea Timer plus 10 system ini checked.
Makes a big difference!
I suspect you've got alot of "update checks" in back-
ground when on net. XP Live Update checking every 5 minutes or so? Updates/security downloading unseen except possibly a note on task bar(updates dwnloaded, install now?).
You could also run a system file error correct as so much reg changing may have created conflicts there. Heres how:
http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-7813-0.html?forumID=32&threadID=140088&messageID=1578976
One other: Most real-time scanners(adware/spyware, backgrnd trojan protect) slow down pages/system since they scan before loading . Hope something here clicks for you!

For instance, when I typed the subject of this topic, the title didnt show up until I was done typing it... Also, if I click on the ebay window at the bottom of the screen, it will take about 15 seconds to switch to that window.

system maintenance, disk cleanup, clear temp files, history, defrag, etc. As I said before, if all the programs that you mentioned found NO malware, then I doubt of you have a virus or spyware issue.

this will be of any help.. BUT. At a time, prior to me downloading McAfee's updates myself, the same sort of thing happened to me once. The reason it had slowed down was due to McAfee updating in the background, at the exact same time I was trying to type. I no longer have anything updating automatically, but I'm wondering if that might be contributing to the cause of your slowdown. Things either updating or running in the the background - to include unnecessary services. I feel like this is a ''stab in the dark''. Sorry I can't be of more help.

If it were I, I would take advantage of Roddy32's advice and start from there.

Best of luck..
Carol

(Just as an afterthought.. since you've only had Registry Mechanic for a month.. are you sure you haven't removed something you shouldn't have?)

since i did a defrag or other system tools, but I always get rid of the temp files when it asks... As far as things running in the background, only spy sweeper does that and when it's done the problem is still there

CCleaner, then do a defrag and chkdsk and see if things improve. This link will tell you more about it, then look for the download link and download the latest version.

http://www.ccleaner.com/

There is a tutorial on this page here.
http://forum.ccleaner.com/index.php?showtopic=1504

I ran Ccleaner and it erased all kinds of stuff
It said i didnt need to defrag but did anyway.
nothing improved...
I dont know how to do a chkdsk???

Thanks for the help, but this laptop is about to meet a brick wall

A yellow "shield" with an explanation mark in the little icons box at the bottom of the screen, and when i "hover" over it, it says downloading updates, 2%... it's been 40 minutes at 2%...

Oh now it went away... and my windows seem to be operating right...??

Ill see if this lasts...

Do you know what was updating??

It's still messed up

Automatic Windows Updates but I do mine manually so I'm not sure what the shield looks like. That would slow the computer down but if it only started doing that then I doubt it is your problem. I'm not sure where to go with this now. You've run a lot of programs, all saying that you don't have malware and you did system maintenance and nothing seems to have helped. Maybe try posting this in the XP forum and perhaps somebody else would have some new ideas for you.

of dealing with it... My computer has full blown aids and I cant help it, I think im gonna recover what I need and humanely destroy it with a sledgehammer