Have you done a system defrag before?

I would try this and see if it would help solve the problem. Sounds to me like the files are fragmented and need to be put back into one place instead of scattered here and there.

Look under accessories, system tools, defragmenter..

Try this and see if it helps ay..

Also did your broadband software install a virus scanner or something like that? I know some of them come with a virus detectiong system that goes through files when you open them, but it doesn't seem like that since it isn't doing it to all files? hmm....

Suggest you do a thorough spyware/virus check. Hooking up to broadband opens you up to all kinds of nasties, some of which affect notepad -- notably keyloggers.

Free spyware tools:
adaware
spybot

Online virus scan:
Housecall

NorthBridge :      VIA KT266/333
SouthBridge :      VT8233A PCI to ISA Bridge

Avance AC97 Audio

WinXPsp2 Security system with Windows Firewall
AVG 7 free antivirus

luke

Regarding my recent problem, now it is fixed and all open instantly. A kind US gentleman from forum:-
http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/forum/index.php?
had similar occurance and if someone needs the details are below:-

 "......... Hi,  Backslashes (\\) represent a network path, like \\servername\sharedfolder. If an application on the open-with list is on the network, the opening process of files will be delayed.    This is what I did:
1. Go to Start -> Run (or Windows key+R).
2. Type in "regedit".
3. Press Ctrl+F or go to Edit -> Find...
4. Type in one of the server names of your network, eg \\computer1
5. If an entry is found, examine which key it's under. If it's found under a file extension key (eg .doc), and it points to a network application, back up the entry and delete it.
6. Keep repeating this process until you're done searching through the registry.
7. Try opening a file that opens in one of your troubled applications

I had Windows 95 computers and XP computers networked, too. The fact that your other computer is Windows 98 doesn't affect the slow entry. I deleted one key for Microsoft Word (which was on Windows 95) on my XP computer, and ALL of my files got better (all of the context menus appeared after 13 secs). If \\Family\print is a printer, leave it alone. If it's a shared folder with an application on it, back up the key and remove it. Definitely get rid of it. I also defragmented my hard drive, which helped the context menu handlers open faster. I downloaded Ccleaner, which removes unused file extensions, which also may be slowing you down, and checks the registry for other problems.    Good luck finding the problem!

Dear Friend Thank you,
It did it !, also thank you for http://www.ccleaner.com/, I ran it & scanned the "issues" part of it & removed all the "unused file extensions" that I never heard of before, except .msi just in case was OExpress.
Now all open instantly.
Best wishes           luke ........................"