high page file usage, pls help

hey there people of the net.
im in hope that you can maybe throw me a bone on how i can sort my problem out and would like to say thanks in advance for any help.
the problem that i am having is that my page file usage is running way high, about 250mb and i have tried everything i can think of, and thats not a lot, to drop it down and get my pooter running faster and multitasking but all to no avail.
things i have tried:
doubling up the memory to 512mg
spybot scan
defraging the system
full virus scan
shutting down as many programs as possible- this sucks cause to get it running at any speed i can only have one programe running in the background

all of this has only led to greater frustration and a serious annoyance towards my pc.

my system is as follows
emachine 420
2.60 ghz intel celeron processor
80gb hard disc
256mb ddr(now increased to 512)
radion9600xt graphics card
mercury pvt800x-l motherboard
windows xp

granted its not the highest spec for a pc but i could do with getting some memory back please as multitasking is just not possible.

any ideas or info will be greately appreciated.
oh and as far as pooters go im pretty novice to them, cheers