Need help figuring out what is wrong with computer . . .

[1184]

My grandfather has a Dell XPS that is about 8 years old.  For the first three years the computer worked just fine whether I was playing games or browsing the internet.  However the forth year it started to slow down and the performance dropped dramatically.  For nearly three years I have not played a single game on the computer and rarely browsed the internet on it since it is near impossible.  The computer is very slow and it would take anywhere from two to five minutes to open a small file or bring up the web browser. 

Earlier today, the computer would load a little bit on the loading screen that first appears and then freezes.

My grandpa was at first saying the hard drive went out and now he is saying it is the BIOS.  I was wondering if anyone can help me figure out what truly is the problem and if at all possible it could be fixed.   

[jason2074]

A Dell XPS laptop or desktop? First of all, you cannot boot and it freezes. Most probably a hardware problem. Re-inserting and cleaning the slot for RAM(memory). Since it may be old, When was it last blown out from dirt or dust? Make sure also that the battery(CMOS,3V)still has that usable power to boot your CPU.  After all, an 8 year computer would be worth the maintenance check-up. When it boots to desktop normally, post for another topic here when it comes to computer lags issue.

[1184]

Sorry for not including a whole lot of information.  It is a desktop and as far as I know has never been dusted out.

Anyways, he did finally get it to start up correctly and he's now listening to music on it.  It's still performing as slow as it has for years. 

[jason2074]

The computer is very slow and it would take anywhere from two to five minutes to open a small file or bring up the web browser. 

Try first cleaning your Temporary internet files folder. Go to Documents and Settings folder, Administrator ,  Local settings, then open Temporary internet files. once inside the folder, you will have to delete by pressing ctrl+A(to select all/highlight) then right-click mouse and click on delete. Exit. Always also to make sure to REFRESH desktop and windows explorer windows. Just right-click and press REFRESH. In your case most probably refreshing it 10 to 20 times on desktop per session. However the most likely optimal way of making everything work is to make a CLEANING maintenance on your CPU and reformatting your hard drive. Just make sure to back-up all your important files and that you have your CD installers with you.

[Rustys]

BIOS
Do you hear any beeps when the system is booting?  If so what are they?  Is there an error message that comes up stating anything about the BIOS, Checksum, CMOS, Battery?  Have you tried to reset the BIOS to factory default?

Before making changes to the BIOS make note of the configuration so they can be reverted back.

How full is the hard drive and when was the last time it was defragged?

Go to Start-All Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Clean Up.

After you run the clean up then defrag.

[silverpersian]

I had the same problem with my work xp desktop when i reported it to the head of IT he told me that i needed more ram.