Video lagging and slow PC performance

I’m at my wit's end here. Lately, my PC has been running incredibly sluggish, and even streaming video online is a stuttering mess. I just did a fresh install of Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1 today—installed Flash Player, Opera, all the necessary codecs, graphics drivers, Avast, the whole nine yards—but it hasn't helped a bit. Everything feels heavy; if I have one program open, trying to launch a second one is an absolute struggle. For context, the machine is running an Intel Core Duo CPU with 2GB of RAM and an ASUS EAH5450 graphics card. I’m starting to wonder if it’s a thermal issue, as I haven't touched the thermal paste in maybe two or three years, even though CPU temps seem within the normal operating range. I honestly don't know what else to try...🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂😵😵 😵

You didn't mention which processor you're running, whether it's a desktop or a laptop, or if you're still using the stock fan that came with the machine.

Maybe try uninstalling Avast first and then give it another shot

You’re gonna hear all kinds of nonsense in here... people obsessing over Avast or how your fan is spinning... because apparently, the fan is the center of the universe... god... You can try forcing the system speed manually, which is a total pain in the ass... or you could just run CCleaner 5.01—I think that's the latest version—to clear out the junk. Run a scan with Malwarebytes too, and you should be fine. If you're really desperate, you could even throw on some Norton Utilities Platinum. If you want to know where to grab them, just shoot me a DM.

nimbleskipper5 said:you’re going to hear all sorts of things on a forum like this.. about the fan situation.. because honestly, keeping those fans running properly is huge.. you can always manually crank up the speed which is a bit of a hassle.. or you could just run CCleaner—I think version 5.01 was the last big one--to clear out the junk.. then maybe give the system a quick scan with Malwarebytes to make sure everything is clean.. that should pretty much cover it.. if you really want to go the extra mile, you could even use Norton Utilities Platinum.. if you're curious about where to pick that up, just shoot me a private message.

Yeah, a fresh Windows install definitely needs a good sweep with CCleaner, a deep dive for malware, and of course, tidying up the registry with Norton Utilities Platinum.
The only thing you hit the nail on the head with was saying people are going to say all sorts of things here, and coming from you, that's a fair point.
Maybe try reading the entire post before jumping in with advice based just on the thread title next time.☕

nimbleskipper5, don't act like you have all the answers here. And honestly, the OP shouldn't listen to any advice about installing some random Norton Utilities (I mean, seriously, what even is that?!) because they might end up having to reinstall Windows entirely. Since this is a fresh installation, we're likely looking at one of two things: either there's a genuine issue with the CPU temperature—you know, where overheating causes the whole system to throttle—or they're just missing some critical drivers.

What on earth... there isn't even a single mention of a performance booster in this so-called "expert advice"? A tune-up? Good grief, you can't call someone an expert with advice that thin...
It's just like suggesting Norton Utilities........it makes me want to go grab a drink just to deal with the frustration.

Even with a fresh Windows install, you might still be dealing with leftover driver conflicts or underlying hardware issues. I'd suggest testing your RAM and checking the health of your hard drive,

Check if a specific process is hogging your CPU or memory using Task Manager or Process Explorer... also, try cleaning up your startup list.