Ok I just noticed something else. That sound that I was describing, the sound my pc makes when it freezes up for a few secs, seems to happen most frequently when I'm using FireFox & I have multiple tabs open. I use other software like Photoshop & play games, and my pc doesn't make that noise when I use those progs. SO maybe it has something to do specifically with FireFox? Any suggestions? Thanks again!!!

EDIT:

The sound I'm referring to is...like a winding up sound, like it's cranking up but it's not a clunky noise. The actual sound sounds like a super fan blowing, but I don't know if it's one of the fans because they all work. And I don't know what all components make noise lol! Could it be something to do w/a modem thingie? We have dsl but I'm assuming there is some type of modem thing in my computer. I ask this because that winding up sound seems to only happen when I have Firefox open & am using multiple tabs. I'll be reading my email and open certain links in diff tabs and once I get about 4 or more it starts making that winding up sound. Freezes up for a couple of secs, then goes on. Then it continues to wind up and freeze up periodically while using mult tabs in FF. Oh man, do I sound like a total moron? LOL!

I really do appreciate all the help. Believe it or not, I'm the most tech savvy person in my family. Scary huh?

Amelia,

Next time you hear that sound, turn off your speakers. That will let you know if something is creating a sound, like the sound that comes from emptying the windows trash.

You should have a DSL modem provided by your phone company. The DSL modem will have an ethernet cable connected to your computer. I would not expect any sounds from the DSL modem, but it may have software that makes a sound via your computer speakers.

People like the local time on their web site.

If you are running Windows XP then you also may want to defrag the harddisk drive. If you are running Windows Vista then by default your PC will do this for you as a scheduled task and happen in the background.

If you are running Windows XP then you can get to the system cleanup tools and the defrag utility by Right clicking on the drive that you want to look at and selecting properties. This will show you the free space and so forth but will also have a button for disk cleanup. here you can delete temp files etc (Windows Vista has the same setup)

Also there should be a tools tab and on of the tools is defrag. Use this though it may require you to restart to accomplish a full defrag.

Besides having a defragged HDD there are other things that can contribute to performance issues. Just like your overheating issue (75 deg C translates to over 160 degrees F) It should be normal between 105 degrees F and 120 deg F though the lower the better. Also please be very careful using any kind of vacuum in your system as it can build static electricity and destroy your system. Compressed air alone is much safer and is usually sufficient. I can't tell you how many client MB I have replace because they were told to vacuum it out.

Another thing to look at is how much ram memory does your system have, especially as a ratio of hdd free space vs amount of ram.

If your hdd is full and you have very little ram your performance will actually decrease due to the fact that windows needs a certain amount of HDD space to use a scratch pad.

Just some things that I thought I would clarify.

Some of this information only applies to 32 bit operating systems (Win XP and Vista) For windows 7 or a 64 bit version OS I have not played enough to have good answers here. The difference is a 64 bit OS can use much higher quantities of RAM above the 4 gig limit of a 32 bit OS.

Hiya Stacy,

Just a note to please not bump up posts that are over 1 1/2 years old that are most likely no longer relevant. My guess is this person has already fixed their issue or they have replaced their computer or have decided to live with it as is after all this time. Thanks for understanding and I'll assume you just may not have seen the year on the post