Can anyone help me find out why my "System 32" folder pops up whenever I open a browser?

My PC (running Windows XP) started to act extremely slow when opening a user profile, then took a very long time to open a browser (I tried IE, Chrome, and Firefox). Upon recommendation from a fairly tech-savvy friend, I downloaded and ran a program called “Free Window Registry Repair”. It had gotten a pretty good review from C-Net, so I thought it would be OK. Ever since I ran the registry repair, my System 32 folder opens up whenever I open a browser (any browser), and it still takes up to 5 minutes (after I close System 32) for the browser to launch.