Laptop keyboard problem
 

Sometimes when I am typing away on forums such as this the screen takes a while ( a couple of seconds)to display what I am typing.Is this a problem with my internet connection or with the machine?

The machine.
What operating system is it? And basic specs (Make, cpu, ram.) I guess you're using the inbuilt keyboard/mouse rather than a plug-in?
Any other strange behaviour? (The machine, not you. ;))

The machine is an Evesham laptop running Windows xp pro.I am using the integral keyboard and a usb mouse.The mouse also seems to lag as well.

Try reinstalling the keyboard driver.
Go to control panel>system, click hardware tab,then device manager, go to keyboard/s, expand (there should be just one) right click it, click on driver tab, click "uninstall (advanced)" close that lot down, restart.
XP will reload the driver/s afresh when it starts up.
Might work...

It could be something else that's running and using too much CPU capacity.

What do you see if you bring up the Task Manager, and then sort the processes in descending order of CPU usage? If system idle isn't well over 90% virtually all the time, I'd be suspicious.

If system idle is 97% and above all the time, then drivers (as above).

Thank you for that.It must be drivers-I just have to remember what i did with the disc!!

Before ferreting out the disk, just try uninstalling them then rebooting. XP will automatically find and re-install them on the boot. If that doesn't work, maybe try and update them.
But as pointed out above, a high cpu load will also cause this behaviour.

I've solved more than one driver problem by Googling for new drivers.

I've also had some luck with driverguide.com

I think I have managed to trace it to the spyware doctor programme I have installed.It frequently shows up to 99 on cpu usage.

What version of Spyware Doctor, how many of its modules/options are on/active, and what other security applications run?
Reports I've read about this (no direct experience) suggest overlapping protections can cause this, eg: running (or trying to run) two firewalls, or another AS at the same time. A suggestion was to progressively disable the various modules in SD untill cpu returned to normal, so as to isolate the culprit, then turn it back on and note the cpu.

I recently installed Spyware Doctor as the trial version had found 'high' threats that Zone Alarm had 'missed'.

I then noticed the speed penalty. I now run SD as a standalone from time to time and not continually.