System response is slow

[Larkina]

I'm running Windows XP Home and when I try to open my control panel, document folder or click on my computer icon they all open up very slowly, but now everything else opens up just great, What can this be hindering these particular area from responding rapidly?

 

[pscowboy]

Many possibilities:

Fragmentation, spyware, adware, malware, registry bloat, limited hd space combined with slow rotation speeds (older drives), not enough RAM, and others I can't think of at the moment.