Windows XP Can't Install Programs or Hardware

[dino80]

I recently did a clean install of my OS. I deleted the partition and reformatted my hard drive. I have a Dell Dimension 3000 running Windows XP Home Edition with SP3. It has a Pentium 4 processor 2.8 Ghz and 2GB of RAM. After installing windows XP, I put in my drivers for chipset, video, and sound. XP comes with IE6, so I needed to upgrade to Either IE 7 or 8. I have tried both, and neither will install. I get no error messages, and the computer says it is installing IE. Eventually I tried to install another browser and was able to install Firefox. I cannot install my mail program(IncrediMail), or my printers (HP Photosmart 1115 and HP Laserjet 1100). It takes about 20 or 30 seconds for me to open my browser, but once it is open, other webpages do come up quite quickly. There is a jerky effect when I scroll, and a hesitation when navigating a webpage. I have always used Microsoft's Security Essentials for an antivirus program. That would not install, so I have gone to Avast Antivirus Program, which did install. I tried to download .NET Framwork 4.0, but it would not install and I ended up with 3.5. All of the programs I have tried to install, have successfully downloaded the setup files to my hard drive, and only had trouble when trying to install the setup files to my computer. I have noticed that sometimes, when I get a "not responding" from my Windows Task Manager, that my processor will run at 100%. It is always the svchost.exe file that is using all the power, and I don't know what that file is.



I have done all the regular kinds of maintenance and cleaning, plus defragmenting the hard drive. None of these procedures has helped with the problem.



Anyone have any ideas, as to what the problem might be?? I have even blown the dust out of inside of my computer...

.



Thanks,

Dean

 

[Jimbo22]

Are you sure you are using the correct Dell drivers for you system, especially the chipset driver. I would also look at the BIOS and see if there's an update for it as well.

 

[dino80]

Are you sure you are using the correct Dell drivers for you system, especially the chipset driver. I would also look at the BIOS and see if there's an update for it as well.

I have done the update on the BIOS, and I have a Dell Resource CD that tells me which chipset and drivers to install.
I am going to go to Dell's support page and see if they can run a scan on my computer to tell which drivers need updating and see if that helps...Do You think it could be memory boards gone bad??? I have two, each 1GB.