It looks like you have several problems:
- Not enough RAM for WindowsXP
- Too many running processes
- Spyware
- Poor DVD Player Software
- Virii?
- DMA?
Let's address these one at a time...
1) Not Enough RAM for XP: Windows XP is kind of a memory hog, especially with antivirus software, anti-spyware software, and other memory-resident software running. I recommend at least 512mb RAM for XP to run effeciently.
2) Too many running processes: Try running
StartupList to remove uneeded software from starting up with Windows, thus preserving RAM and CPU cycles. Remember, Windows has some issues multitasking; the less it has to do the better your performance will be.
3) Spyware: It looks like you are infected with spyware, an extremely common occurance for Windows users. I noticed that you have already installed and run Spybot S&D, but I also advise installing and running
AdawareSE and perhaps
Hijack This if you have especially stubborn spyware. Make sure your anti-spyware clients are updated and scan regularly -- perhaps weekly or more often if you notice problems.
4) Poor DVD Player Software: WMP is not a very good media player to be honest, especially since you are short on RAM. If your DVD ROM came with PowerDVD or WinDVD, I'd advise using that instead. If not, maybe another forum regular can recommend some for you (I don't run Windows myself so I can't really recommend a good one for you).
5) Virii?: Are you running antivirus software? If not, it is likely that you are infected with virii. You should always run an anti-virus in Windows, as it is just as vulnerable to such malicious software as it is to spyware due to inherant design flaws on that platform.
AVG Free is a very good AV, and like the name implies it is free for home usage. Keep in mind that an anti-virus is only as effective as its virus patterns, so be sure to keep it up to date. Also, antiviruses do utilize CPU and RAM resources as well as adding a few more running processes to the mix. Unfortunately, it is a necessary evil for those running Microsoft Windows. Sorry.
6) DMA?: Make sure you have DMA enabled for both your primary and secondary IDE channels. On some drives, Windows chooses to fall back on PIO rather than DMA, which hurts performance massively and causes your system resources to bog down remendously. If the DVD-ROM doesn't support DMA at all, replace the drive with one that does.
Hope this helps...
-AT