Also, I'd suggest making sure nothing else is on the machine. If your friend does not already have Malwarebytes Antimalware, then I suggest installing it, doing a full scan. If it finds anything, remove it, reboot, and re-scan - do until clean. It may only take one run, but I'd go ahead and just do as many as it takes. If you see items continually show up after reboot, then there are other possibly bigger issues. All malware/adware/spyware doesn't slow down computers - sometimes you can be really infested and not even know it by performance.
Another note: I'd highly suggest using ad/script blockers where possible. Given your friend is using IE, the possibilities are at least slim if not practically nonexistent. I personally use FF or Chrome at different times, and use script and ad blockers all the time. I think BadBigBen here in the forums first recommended to me to use NoScript on FF, and I've never looked back ever since.
couple links:
Malwarebytes Antimalware (one safe download location - they do have clickable ads, though, so make sure you click the right "download" button:
CCleaner at same site:
And you know, it wouldn't hurt once de-malwared, and cleaned up with ccleaner, to do a good defrag. Windows built-in works, but there are better ones out there. I personally like Auslogics Disk Defrag the best:
(same download site)
Another good general cleanup tool, as well as being loaded with other helpful utilities is Glary Utilities - only thing is I've begun to block it from startup/scheculed tasks, b/c it likes to pop up all too regularly asking you to buy the pro version - probably worth it for some folks, but here is a link to that one (same site):
Also, make sure Windows is up to date, as well as the AV software being up to date. If using McAfee Antivirus (personal opinion), I'd move on to just about anything else -> Microsoft Security Essentials is no-nag free, and generally works - not strongest, but not weakest, and it generally runs without issues.
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57