How to Speed up a Windows XP Computer

If not properly maintained, the performance of all Windows XP systems will eventually degrade. To counteract this slow-down, scheduling a computer shop visit isn’t your only option; you can correct performance issues yourself. Save money and squeeze more speed out of Windows XP!

Steps

1. Defragment Your Computer - This will place similar files physically closer on the hard disk to improve load speeds.
   • Click start, again, then click run.
   • Type “dfrg.msc” in the text field.
   • Click Defragment to start it.
2. Stop unwanted Start-Up programs.
   • Download Chameleon Startup Manager. Install the software you have just downloaded.
   • Disable any programs you do not want load automatically.
   • If a program is not immediately required upon Windows start, you can specify a delayed startup (we recommend several minutes) or upon what program this program should be started.
   • Disable Services you do not use or need. Open control panel, open Administrative Tools, and select Services. Disabling the wrong Services may lead to serious problems that you may not notice right away. Please consult a reference such as overclockersclub.com for information on specific Windows XP Services.
3. Remove Spyware and Viruses
   • Spyware and viruses are a leading cause of computer slowing. Update and run your spyware and virus software weekly. If you do not have tools installed to protect against malware, spyware, and viruses, download a free copy of AVG’s Anti-Virus and/or Anti-Spyware software (free for personal use). Also, Microsoft’s Windows Defender is a widely-used anti-spyware tool that is currently distributed freely for users with a “Genuine” copy of Windows. Windows Defender will be included with other Microsoft services and products such as Live and Vista.
   • Download and install Mozilla Firefox from http://www.mozilla.com. It will allow you to import all of your Internet Explorer settings, and is much less prone to malware than Microsoft Internet Explorer. It will prompt you with a “Set as Default Browser” message. Check “Don’t show this again” and click “Yes”.
4. Perform a disk clean up.
   • Click start in the bottom left corner, then click run.
   • Type, “cleanmgr.exe” in the text field. Press “OK”. This can take a while if you have never done it before.
5. Remove unwanted software.
   • Click start, then click control panel.
   • Click add/remove programs.
   • Highlight any old software you do not use and then click “remove”.
6. Make Windows load faster
   • Click Start, then Run.
   • Type in ‘msconfig’ and press enter.
   • Click on the BOOT.INI tab at the top.
   • Over to the right there will be a box labeled Timeout with 30 in it. Change the 30 to a 3.
7. Speed Up Processing Time
   • Turning off the fancy Windows XP graphics will noticeably increase the speed of your computer.
   • Go to Start, (Settings), Control Panel, System. NOTE: You may need to ‘Switch to Classic Mode’ to see the System applet.
   • Go to the Advanced tab. Click the Settings button under Performance.
   • Select the ‘Adjust for best performance’ radio button, then Apply, and OK.
   • The graphics aren’t as flashy, but your computer will run a lot faster.

Tips

• If this is your first defrag, do it after the disk clean up twice, then a disk defrag, and then another disk clean up.
• Do all the above steps quite often to keep the speed of your PC going.
• Although time-intensive, a re-partition and re-format of the hard disk drive, along with a clean installation of Windows XP will improve performance. Performing this task will remove all of your existing data, so a back-up or file copy is recommended first. Only save the files you created, as you will need to reinstall each application on the new installation of Windows. If you did not change the default location when saving documents, it may be safe to copy only the user folder and all files and folders within it (ie: “C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)”). Typically, most users will need to be sure to copy these files:
  • Documents created using applications such as Microsoft Word or similar office suite programs
  • Bookmarks/Favorites from your Internet browser
  • Fonts installed that are not included by default with Windows (note that some fonts are installed by applications).
  • E-mail in-box and folders if you use an e-mail client that does not use an Internet browser
  • Any schedule data for programs such as Outlook
  • Financial records for programs such as Quicken
• Optimize the registry either manually or with a third-party application. Many of these registry tweaking programs are available on the Internet, including commercial applications that are released as free trials. If you are not familiar with the registry, do not edit it manually — the registry is vital to Windows’ operation.

Warnings

• Always create a restore point before uninstalling software, even better before you start any step.

Tags: anti virus, AVG, Browser, Computer, Defender, defrag, defragment, Firefox, hard disk, Internet, malware, Microsoft, Performance, registry, remove, Software, Spyware, startup, system, virus, Windows, Windows Defender, windows xp

This entry was posted on Monday, February 5th, 2007 at 12:26 pm and is filed under Software, Windows XP. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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