Windows running slow; won't update

[shag]

I'll try to find someone that has the CD, but apparently it's becoming pretty common to not receive a Windows CD with a new computer.  Do I have other routes to getting a CD, or other options entirely?

[soybean]

I'll try to find someone that has the CD, but apparently it's becoming pretty common to not receive a Windows CD with a new computer.

Right, but manufacturers put a recovery partition on the hard drive as a substitute for a Windows CD.  Open Computer, where you see your drives listed.  What is D on your computer?  If you have a partition lettered D, how large is that partition and how much space is used on it?  Or, is D a partition you use for other purposes or is D assigned to an optical drive?  This info provides a fairly clear indication of whether your computer has a recovery partition.

Also, what is the make and model of your computer?

Edit: SuperDave: I hope my comments here are not out of line. I'll avoid posting on the actual virus of malware issues.

[SuperDave]

Thanks Soybean. I went back and checked and the C drive is partitioned with, what I assume is, the Recovery Console. Please try this.

1. Eject and remove any discs or memory cards from your computer.

2. Click the "Start" button on the desktop to open the Start menu, click the small arrow icon to the right of the lock icon and select "Restart".

3. Hold the "F8" key on your computer's keyboard as Windows Vista reboots.

4. Highlight and select "Repair your computer" choose your keyboard type and click "Next".

5. Choose your user name, type your password if prompted and click "OK" to access the System Recovery Options menu.

[shag]

Yep, the hard drive is partitioned with a D: Recovery.  I was able to re-load windows from the Recovery Console.

Windows Update found 103 updates for my reloaded Vista, but Update still doesn't seem to work right.  I ran it once and after ~15 minutes it still said 0% downloaded.  I restarted and tried to run it again and this time the program froze before ever starting up.

[SuperDave]

I was able to re-load windows from the Recovery Console.

Did you do a Recovery or just a repair?
Did you try going to the MS site and getting your updates?

[shag]

I did a recovery.

All of those updates that wouldn't install a couple days ago--Windows Update now reports them as installed.  I can't even venture a guess as to what went down there.

I guess it is not necessary to try the manual downloading of updates now.

There's still times when I wonder why this machine runs so slowly.  Might there be a way to check processor speed/other hardware and make sure it is performing as it should?

[SuperDave]

Slow Computer? It may not be Malware for free cleaning/maintenance tools to help keep your computer running smoothly.