Norton File Insight Query (IExplore.exe using high memory)

I have Norton 360; earlier today I got a pop up from Norton file insight telling me that Iexplore.exe was using high memory. 

This is happening after a day or two of my laptop acting rather hinky- mostly just slow sometimes.  Last night when it started getting slow, the screen on one tab would occasionally go black, but the toolbar would still remain- and when I would close the tab, and open a new one, I'd start typing in the Google search window on my toolbar, and instead of a drop down box showing suggestions as I typed, it would be a drop down box of black.

 

I'm not tech savvy, so I'm kind of clueless as to what all this means- I did some digging online, and found other people with the same issue, but still haven't really been able to figure out what it means, and what I need to do to fix it. 

 

Not sure if this is relevant, but I use my laptop to do a lot of research and writing, so i tend to have 2 or 3 internet tabs opened at the same time so i can bounce back and forth while working in OpenOffice Writer- I realize this means I'm probably using more memory, but i'm not sure if it has any bearing on this issue. Just wanted to throw that out there.

 

Any advice would be tremendously appreciated (please try to dumb it down a little for me in layman’s terms though?).  Thanks :)

 

(I'm including screen-shots of the Norton pop up and of my laptop's specs):

Norton File Insight #1.JPG

 Computer Info.JPG