the specs are in my SIG. i have a desktop and laptop with those specs and i re-installed XP on both of them at the same time. why does my desktop run EXTREMELY slow and how can i fix it? or is it just normal for it to do that?

Maybe one has lots more processes running or needs to be defraged?
Looking at the specs you need more ram. If you got at least another 256mb your computer would run much better.

ill try doing that, its weird, i use my laptop 5X's as much as my desktop.
if that doesnt work, ill post a couple hijackthis logs and get them compared.

well, firstly...

its not the same specs.

fine, my desktop has better specs but it runs slower. better?

EDIT: w0w, it actually worked! i didnt think it could make that big of a difference but it does! thanks!

what worked, the extra ram or the defrag?

A completely clean install, meaning a format + reinstall can make a computer work like it's new (which it essentially is).

RAM can make the biggest difference for those running 256MBs + Windows XP. In my opinion, defragging makes a slight, but not dramatic difference.

Be sure to have the correct graphics card drivers installed too. It doesnt sound like much, but it can actually do a huge difference...

the defrag made a huge difference.
im gonna go to best buy and buy 1GB RAM just to soupe it up even more.

Which defrag. did you use ? The one in-built in XP or a commercial product like PerfectDisk ?

Regular XP one is fine for most people.

XP's