My XP now takes 100 seconds to open [ie] Google. :confused:; have searched every option an old non-geek can find, including the purchase of RegCure (which hardly touched my problem)... struggling now 4 weeks-- am ready to reformat my hard drive but am pleading for suggestions first! Anyone? Eternal thanks in advance.

You have a bad case of spyware. Got to clean those little critters out almost on a daily basis some times as your computer will run sloooow to be sure. You can get some free downloads at Majorgeeks.com or filehippo.com or spend a few bucks and get a spyware program. Ones I would recommend is CCleaner (that's a free one) and Advanced Windows Cleaner (free also). A good one is Ad Aware but not it is not a freebie and you have to subscribe as of Jan 08. That was a good one. Run your spyware remover daily. I do and it keeps my computer running much faster. Those critters embed themselves in your machine on the darndest sits! Don't reformat whatever you do, it is not necessary!

The only two sites I know that might have something to fix it are

Pctools.com PC Tools - Download Free AntiVirus, Spyware Removal, Internet Security and Utility Software (http://www.pctools.com/)
Trendmicro.com Antivirus & Content Security Software | Securing Your Web World: - Trend Micro USA (http://us.trendmicro.com/us/home/)
Komando.com Komando.com, Website for The Kim Komando Radio Show® (http://komando.com/)

One of the free programs they have is house call. Me being comp illit I don't know if that helps your problem but they have many different programs.

I forgot to mention you need to try defragging your hard drive. That should also help a lot.