Windows XP SP2 w/ 1G memory and HP PSC 950Xi printer.

Safe mode is okay, and bootup and shut down are okay.

No matter what I click on it takes 5 minutes to respond, plus it also stalls
for 5 minutes whenever the cursor passes over the arrow for a foldout menu
(like in the start and programs menu). So just to get to the Start/ Program
Files/Accessories/ System Tools - takes half an hour.

I tried using System Restore, but after doing its thing and rebooting, the
message says it was incomplete and made no changes. (I suspect because I had
monitoring turned off on the D drive - the D drive is password protected to
restore the system to original configuration).

This all started when my printer software got corrupt (and this happened
after reinstalling Windows Media Player 9, then uninstalling it and
reinstalling WMP10). Afterwards, my printer wouldn't print. So I tried to
uninstall and reinstall the software, but it doesn't install correctly. I
tried to remove all traces of the printer, but it still takes 5 minutes to
respond.

Any suggestions please?