I think my computer is ready to bite the dust

[sgluckadoo]

I hate it when computers start acting up. I am not good at troubleshooting and tech stuff. It is so intimidating to me. I have an older laptop that barely runs and i know it is probably just loaded up with malware or something and could  easily be fixed if the right person had it. I hate that it just sits there not getting used.

[sgluckadoo]

Don't be silly!  If you did it then, you can do it again (build your own).  If your computer is 23 years old, I would definitely say it's time for a new one!  As I stated earlier, go in to an electronics place and ask them if you could see and play with a Windows 8 computer.  It's really not horrible at all and not hard to learn.  You may surprise yourself.  Don't be afraid!  You're quite capable of learning and there really isn't much to learn (at least I didn't see it that way).  Go treat yourself and get yourself a new computer.  Let us all know what you picked! 

PS:  Your anti-virus program will NOT show you any updates for your hardware (like video card, sound card, etc.).  For that, you'll need to know what's installed in your computer.  Look in the "Device Manager," then you could visit the Manufacturer's website to see if there are any new drivers.  However, being that the computer is 23 years old, I wouldn't count on it.
[/quote]

My anti-virus program does more than just check for viruses. it tells me when the drivers need updating and if it does, it automatically goes to the website and updates if I click on it. Right now it's telling me I need to update Mozilla FireFox. It also boosts the speed, optimizes my system, defrags, cleans junk files, scans for empty folders, and much more.  It also checks for other malware and security problems.  I love it.

I use Malwarebytes, too, to see if something sneaked through my other program. 
[/quote]

23 years old? WOW!!!!

[Getinonthis]

You seem to have all the information you need, as far as a laptop and a notebook, It was formerly a matter of size, but these days laptops are referred to as notebooks. I have a desktop but rarely use it due to the convenience and portability of my laptop.
OS: Seeing that you've been using a older OS, go directly to windows 10, it's a combination of
win 7 and win 8. Or you could purchase a computer with win 7 if it's able to upgrade to win 10 which is free, that may save you some money.
Best regards.

[oldbuddy]

I hate it when computers start acting up. I am not good at troubleshooting and tech stuff. It is so intimidating to me. I have an older laptop that barely runs and i know it is probably just loaded up with malware or something and could  easily be fixed if the right person had it. I hate that it just sits there not getting used.

Why don't you reformat the hard drive and install Windows from scratch, then Windows will be in brand new condition.

[oldbuddy]

Or you could purchase a computer with win 7 if it's able to upgrade to win 10 which is free, that may save you some money.

That's what I did, I bought a Pentium D from Dell on Ebay for $118 with Windows 7 and upgraded it to Windows 10. It runs great!