I purchase this approx 6 yrs ago, recently had to purchase Mac OS X Snow Leopard for my daughter new IPOD to work. But this crazy computer is extremely slow, why??? Please help. Very fustrated!

Question

I purchase my Mac approx 6 years, recently purchase Mac OS X Snow Leopard disk for my daughters new IPOD to work, computer is extremely slow, others refuse to use it, why is it slow, I know very little about this computer and have hated it from day one! Please help.  The most I have on this computer would be photos, never downloaded movies, and have approx 40 songs.

Answer 1

The best option to make it faster would be to manually go through and erase all of the junk (files you never use) from the computer. If you want a much faster way (depending on how many files you have, this can take much longer), you can copy the files you'd like to keep to an external HD and then erase and reinstall OS X.
Erase and Reinstall OS X using the OS X Install DVD
Note: This will delete all data on the disk. Back up important files before continuing.
Erasing and then reinstalling OS X can give you a fresh start, making your computer exactly as it was whenever you received it from Apple. This can solve various problems such as corrupt system files.
Insert your OS X Install DVD into the computer's built-in disc drive (if applicable) or your computer's external USB disc drive.
Shut down the computer by going to Apple () > Shut Down…
Select Shut Down or allow the computer to shut down automatically.
Plug in the MagSafe power adapter into a power source and then connect it to your Mac if you have not already done so.
Press the Power Button to turn on the computer.
Press and hold the D key on the keyboard until the Recovery partition loads. If this does not work, shut down the computer, press the Power Button to turn on the computer, and then hold in the Alt (⌥) button immediately after you press the power button. Then, select the Mac OS X Install DVD to boot from the Mac OS X Install DVD.
Select Disk Utility and then choose Continue.
Select your startup disk (Macintosh HD by default) from the left.
Select the Erase tab.
Choose the Format pop-up menu and choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled), enter a name for your disk, and then click Erase.
After the disk is erased, choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.
Select Reinstall OS X and then choose Continue.
Follow the instructions.
I hope I helped.