New AZ-605 incredibly slow

Thanks for your time.  I found out how to check the status of all my drivers and activated automatic updates [besides the Microsoft updates which was already activated].  I went through the drivers one by one and used the option within the system to check online for each and every driver individually [even if it was the same item e.g., 4 USB hubs].  None of them needed updating; some of the dates on the drivers were the same 2006 dates listed as being outdated on driverupdate.com. I am not defending that utiliy, just sayinig they did give later dates for updates [as much as 5 or 6 years newer].

Am I right in assuming that the embedded program in 8.1 is valid?  I am sorry to be so whiny--it is just so frustrating to pay a lot of $$ for something you are not really sure you want in the first place but I felt that keeping my XP system was just asking for trouble sooner than later according to people much smarter than I. 

The thought of having to do anything like messing with the system makes me shudder.  All this is way above my paygrade; I spent years learning to be proficient in XP and felt very comfortable with it.  Sorry, again, promised I would not whine about 8.1.  Guess I will start from scratch and trying to fix the problem--whatever it is.  I will give Acer support another chance but my initial experience was very unfaborable.

Again, thanks, and I appreciate your time and patience

Hi--I am back again--sorry to keep bothering you all.  The computer is as slow as ever.  All the drivers are uptodate.  I bought the pro version of Advanced System Care [Iobit] which I had on my XP computer and used all the time to clean up things.  First time I ran it it did all its tests and found scads of things to clean up which it did--the computer still just drags.  I have disabled as much as I think possible on the start-up menu plus all the stuff that came o the computer, [bluetooth, etc, a lot of bells and whistles I have not used and probably won't].  I use Firefox and went to that forum, received some useful advice and reset it.  Nada--is there something I am missing out on the computer?  I do not have any idea where to go next.  I am going to get a for-hire IT guy over but really do hate to have to do that when I have spent a lot of money on this brand new computer that should be super fast.

Sorry about the whine--it is probably something in 8.1 that is eluding me.

Is this what one expects now when you purchase a new computer and pay big bucks [for me]?  I have had 3 or 4 off-the-shelf computers over the last 15 years and have never had to do all this to make them usable.  I am NOT railing at you--I did not try your suggestion hoping I could come up with something else--I know what you said [in words] but have not a clue how to uninstall, reinstall, etc.  I did not even get system disks -- everything has been online.  It took something like 6 hours for the 8.1 upgrade to load right after I got it.  I assume there are instructions at the Acer site and will look into it but I guess I want to know WHY I have to do it?  Shouldn't this just be a matter of my moving files and installing the programs I use.?  I still have not loaded my genealogy databases for fear of something screwing them up.  This is probably not gonna happen but I do not Know!  I guess this is a rant/rave about 8.1 really.

If I had a time machine would NEVER buy a new computer, would have kept my wonderful older fast set up that was absolutely seamless.

thanks for listening

daisy

My thanks to all of you for your help; with great sadness I concur with your solution and will have the reinstall done as well as the reload of all my programs, etc.  I apologize for being so stubborn and trying to work around it when you all first suggested it but I just did not want to face all that it will take to start over.  The clean reinstall is not the problem, it is just all the associated tasks with getting the computer going. 

I accept responsibility for not realizing that a newer version of an operating system from the only game in town might not really work--if I were younger I would scrap it all and start anew with apple.