"The problem is that the computer crashes all the time with different programs and generally runs painfully slow."There are all sorts of possible reasons for that.
"The clock is also messed up."
The cmos battery is probably dead or too weak. The time and date will reset to defaults every time the computer is shut off if that's the case.
Where it is and how to replace it may be in an English manual for similar NEC models. Sometimes it's under the keyboard, sometimes it's inside the case. They are usually fairly cheap to buy.
The first thing you should do is test the hard drive to rule out whether that is causing your problems - if it's faulty trying to do anything else is a waste of time.
Test the hard drive - see the info in response 2.
It costs you nothing to do so.
If there's nothing wrong with the hard drive itself, just about any software problem can be fixed, or if all else fails you could get a regular Windows CD
and re-load Windows and go from there.
If you know anyone who has been using PCs a long time they may have a Win ME or 98SE CD they are not using and could give to you or sell to you cheap. You would not have to upgrade anything if you used one of those.
Otherwise, you can get OEM XP Home for less than $100, but you have to buy at least a mouse or some other small hardware device at the same time. However, as I said above, you may need to up the amount of ram installed to get XP to run reasonably.
"....I couldn't find any information as to how to reformat without a CD."
You can download a copy of the Windows ME or 98SE Startup disk from the web (e.g. www.bootdisk.com or www.bootdisks.com or similar) and re-format the drive, but that's only the first step, and it may not solve anything if the hard drive is faulty.
You need to at least load an operating system - ME or 98SE or XP or whatever.
Brand name system builders often make Rescue CD sets available with which you can re-load what was originally on the hard drive, if your hard drive crashews or becomes faulty, but only for maybe 3 years or so.
"I think it might be easier and cheaper to just buy a new computer with disks."
At most, new brand name systems come with one Recovery CD or DVD - often they don't come with any - they almost always do not come with a regular Windows CD or DVD (although you can get them if you order them at the same time you order a computer from the US HP/Compaq site, at a reduced price).
You are supposed to make a set of Recovery CDs or DVDs while Windows is running fine yourself, using a program supplied by the brand name system builder already on the computer, preferably right after you first get the computer, so that you can restore the computer even if the hard drive fails.
"The whole reason why I needed a japanese computer in the first place was to be wirelessly connected to the network. The network card they gave me doesn't fit into my english computer." and my wireless internal adapter doesn't recognize the router."
If the NEC has a cardslot - PCMCIA slot - you can get network adapters for those cheaply.
"and my wireless internal adapter doesn't recognize the router."
There can be all sorts of reasons for that.
Have you had any experience setting up a wireless connection? It's more complicted than a regular wired connection, and in ME you must use a utilty to do it - it comes with the proper adapter, but it must have software for ME. Also, if the router is also used for a wireless connection to an XP computer, there is probably an encrption key in the router's configuration and on the XP computer that would also have to entered in the ME wireless utilitity's configuration.
