I don't know if it's the culprit, but I do know my Vostro's been so hot lately the fan is always running, and I never have any free memory. Goodbye, SuperFetch.

[OC]ModShop - Just Say No To SuperFetch: Do you need it?:

If you have 2GB or RAM or less, you could improve overall system performance by disabling the SuperFetch service. To disable it, open up your Services applet... there are several ways to do this, but the most direct way is to type 'services.msc' in a Run dialog box (Win R).