Can't figure this out! Help

About a week ago, my backup computer suddenly started to run very slow (or at least I thought). It first started with not being able to load videos quickly. I'd double click a video file and it would take some 2 minutes or so to finally play.
Then it happened with pictures as well (but to a lesser extent). Now it also happens when I try to load up start menu (at taskbar). It opens up very slowly for example when I tried to access Control Panel.

My chrome and IE also don't load pages and often become "unresponsive". I checked my internet and it works fine on my main computer (they are right next to each other using the same router and modem). I thought it might be a virus and did a full scan with malware antibytes and it removed about a dozen things it found, but still no improvements.

I thought it might be a dying hard drive but did a diagnostic with Active SMART and Seagate Diagnostic software and both showed up as GREEN with no problems.

Then it might have been my graphics card but I updated the drivers and everything installed fine. I'm able to load games and play them with no slowdown or lag or anything of the sort. They run smooth and perfect.

FireFox works fine with internet and loads pages quickly just like it should, but not Chrome and IE. I cleared the cache on both and still no improvements.

Any ideas or clues as to what it might be? I'm on Windows 7, and installed the latest updates and still nothing improved.

Could it be a RAM issue? But I'd think that would affect gameplay but as I said I can play games without any issues. It's just Chrome, IE, and trying to play video files, or open up start menu is very slow or unresponsive.

I checked my firewall settings and have Chrome and IE with permission etc.

Can't figure out what it could be.

 

I just completed a memtest86 also and it was perfect, no errors. So I'm hoping all this is ruling out what could have been
the issue and deducing closer to what might actually be causing my slow chrome, ie, video files, start up menus etc.

 

Try running CCleaner (leave the settings at their defaults) and see if it helps.

 

Thanks, I installed and ran CCleaner. It seemed to resolve the slow Chrome and IE issues as they now both surf the internet fine without "unresponsive" messages and lag.

Start menu also opens up fast and normal like before now with not much lag.

However, simply opening a photo file on my computer still takes a good 20 seconds or so to open up and load (whereas normally it opens up instantly).
Same thing with opening video files (also takes a while to actually open up). It's the same whether I open the video up with WMP or WinAmp or Elecard Player or GomPlayer...all long delay. For pictures, same thing whether I use Windows PictureViewer or IrfanView etc. same long delay.

What do you think would be causing such a long delay? It never used to delay like this before so I know it's not that my computer is too slow or that the files are too big. Could it be a graphics card issue, or perhaps a codec issue?

 

I seriously doubt that it's a problem with your graphics card or codecs.

I don't know which programs you're using for photos and videos and even if I did, I wouldn't be much help as I don't do much with either photos or video.

Hopefully, someone with more experience in those areas will jump in and help you.

Glad we got the browsers and Windows Explorer working again.

 

Yes, thanks for that.