Attached Link: http://www.outertech.com/index.php?_charisma_page=product&id=2

I've had similar problems when I ran windows98se with Carrara. I'd suggest downloading Cacheman its free! (http://www.outertech.com/index.php?_charisma_page=product&id=2) I found it VERY much helped performance when rendering. I could actually do something other then render a scene. lol. Also make sure you defragment regularly, scandisk, and disk cleanup.