1. RAM will help if you're not talking hi-def stuff. If you're running anything newer than WinXP and/or have ANYTHING running at the same time, yes, you are running out of RAM. So picking up a 4GB set of RAM for your laptop will certainly make it run better, period.
2. Clean-up - If you've not defragged your hard drive or run any clean-up on temp files, etc, then that would be a big help as well. For this, I'd suggest: CCleaner and Auslogics Disk Defrag.
3. What app are you using to play your CDs and DVDs? You may come out better using something different. I would try VLC Media Player and/or the KMedia Player
4. Startup Items - You can use CCleaner for some of this - You likely have startup items it would pay to kill-off / disable. You can do this via Start-Run-type
msconfig and press <Enter>,.. or you can use CCleaner - Tools - Startup - simply uncheck items there..
5. Registry Clean-up may help as well - CClenaer also does an excellent job at this..
6. If you're talking Hi-Def content on the video side, then your system is going to have a hard time with any of that, regardless of what you do.
7. Should also check for any virus/malware infections - malwarebytes antimalware, superantispyware both work well - what AV are you using? I'd recommend MS Security Essentials or Avira Antivir first... there are some other good ones as well.
8. All of the software I mentioned can be quickly and VERY easily downloaded and installed from
http/ninite.com
Post back with your results..