How/where can I save my preferences?

[MomNEEDShelp]

I have a Windows 7 Hp Slimline. It's been acting wacky and there is little saved inside so I figured I would try a factory restore.

Before I do that, is there any way I can get the PC back to the way I prefer looking at it after I reinstall? I'm guessing I've tweeked preferences a bit over the years and now it's what I'm used to seeing.

I am NOT very computer savvy.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP 

[Mark.]

when you say it is "acting wacky" and have decided to do a factory reset, for me, that means starting from scratch with the system side of it.
backup and restore your personal data, but if you do the same to your customised settings (be it toolbars, installed software, system tweaks etc) you could be restoring to the new build the very thing you are trying to remedy.

[MomNEEDShelp]

I never had a good anti virus set up so I think my pc may be corrupted a bit. It is slow to load pages, although I really have nothing installed. (I mainly just use my computer to browse the web, online shop ping, reading articles etc) I believe this system is only 3GB but it should be enough for my needs considering.

One main pain in the rump is... when I go to a new page, like if I open Google and enter Amazon.com, the page takes a while and I get a gray strip at the bottom left of my screen that says "Waiting for...." . It may say Cache, it may say Images or Leads, it may say Kellogs. So many 'waiting' addresses flash so fast, I can't even read them.

[Mark.]

and the reason for no AV software is......?
do you have the inbuilt MS Security Essentials/Defender turned on?

does it just need a *censored* good cleanup?
have you tried another browser?
is it a PC speed or a browser speed issue?  perhaps your internet speed is to blame.
go to speedof.me and do a speed test.

[MomNEEDShelp]

I don't have no excuse for no AV software.

I checked and I DO have the MS security downloaded. (I tried to install and it said I already have it)

I will try another browser tonight.

I ran that speed test. Download:34.21   &  Upload: 47.41    Not sure what either means or what I can do to improve them if they are bad.low.

[Geek-9pm]

MomNEEDShelp,
before you do anything, Do you have a full backup?

Also, consider buying a cheap replacement Hard Drive and doing a full install of the factory settings. That way you would still have the original hard drive. They may take more of your time, but it is the most conservative approach and gives you a safety net you can use again.

Relevant video (Skip the  Ad.) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaavGMjTfgM

[Mark.]

34Mbps download and 47Mbps upload are excellent - nothing wrong with those.
so that isn't the reason for your browser "Waiting for..." issues.

at this stage, I would certainly trail a different browser, assuming you use Chrome, try either Firefox, Opera, or (dare I say it) Edge.
and doing some maintenance tasks on the PC would help too; try CCleaner by Piriform, although their latest version 5.45 has just been pulled due to privacy issues, and v5.44 is the latest but it too has concerns.  myself I have stayed on v5.40.  older versions are available at FileHippo.
also run the inbuilt Windows cleaner.
start an elevated command prompt, type cleanmgr /sageset:1 and hit Enter.
tick all the boxes and hit OK.
now type cleanmgr /sagerun:1 and hit Enter and sit back and wait.

you can always throw in a defrag of the system and , yes, a backup of your personal files wouldn't hurt either.
or for a complete system image backup, try Macrium Reflect, it's free too!