Machine acting sluggishly?
Clean your computer's cache

    If you said "what cache?" then you probably need to empty it. The cache is the place on your hard drive that collects the information that you access on the net. If you go back to a page while online, your computer does not have to wait to get the information from the modem again...it gets it from your hard drive. Over time, after a lot of internet surfing, you may notice a slow down in accessing sites. All this information (called "Temporary Internet Files") sits in your computer until you remove it. Cleaning the cache can also help clear up a lot of other problems, like pages that don't refresh. If it seems to take a long time to reach and download sites, empty the cache as described below.

    The emptying procedure is somewhat different depending on your browser.
Netscape: [used to be...may need to look it up in Netscape's help files] Options (in menu at top) > Network Preferences > Cache > Clear Disk Cache Now
Netscape 4.7: Edit (in menu at top) > Preferences > Advanced > Cache > Clear Memory Cache & Clear Disk Cache
Internet Explorer: Tools (in menu at top) > Internet Options > under "temporary internet files," select "Delete Files."
Aol Browser [used to be...]: Members > Preferences > WWW > Advanced > Purge Cache > Yes.

While you're cleaning up, have you ever "defragged" your machine?

Defragmenting

    Defragmentation puts all your files in order on the disk drive, helping to ensure the fastest accessing and reading of files (for your computer, anyway!). Before you begin, make sure all your programs and files are closed and empty your recycle bin! Be prepared to let the machine alone for a while while it does its work.
    1. Double click on "My Computer" icon.
    2. Right click on C drive (or other drive).
    3. Click on "Properties" on the menu that appears.
    4. Click the Tools tab.
    5. Click "Defragment Now." It may take several minutes for your computer to finish this process, and leave your computer alone while it is busy. When it is done, it will say "Optimization Complete."
    If you are using Norton Disk Utilities, you may get a "locked" message which means you will have to carry out defragmentation through that program rather than through Windows itself.