5 Simple Tips to Speed Up Windows XP

Everybody wants their computers to be as fast as new or even a little bit faster. That’s why a lot of users still prefer Windows XP - it’s a fairly light operating system and is particularly good for netbooks and older computers. Even though it’s pretty fast as it is, there are many ways to speed up XP even more - from upgrading your hardware (adding RAM is the easiest solution) to applying various registry tweaks. But if you are looking for a fast and easy solution, here are 5 simple tips which really help if you want to know how to speed up your computer running Windows XP.

1. Cleanup and defrag

Yes, I know, the good old cleanup and defrag. But seriously, you can’t expect your computer to be fast if it’s cluttered with junk and has file fragments scattered all over the hard drive.

Windows XP has built-in disk cleaner and disk defragmenter. To access the Disk Cleanup tool, go to Start –> (All) Programs –> Accessories –> System Tools –> Disk Cleanup. And if you want to use the Disk Defragmenter, go to Start –> (All) Programs –> Accessories –> System Tools –> Disk Defragmenter.

However, a lot of people prefer using third-party defrag utilities, like Auslogics Disk Defrag or Piriform Defraggler, because the built-in XP one is pretty slow and doesn’t do a very thorough job.

2. Uninstall programs you never use

A lot of people love trying out new software. So, they download programs, install them, run them a couple of times, and… sometimes never use them again! Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Having too many programs can make your computer really slow, not to mention the amount of hard drive space they take up.

To see currently installed programs, go to Start –> Settings –> Control Panel –> double-click Add/Remove Programs. Review the list and uninstall programs you never use.

3. Optimize XP appearance settings

If speed is your top priority, it’s recommended to adjust XP appearance settings for best performance. Visual effects that we are so used to waste system resources. And if you think that it’s only the graphics card that has to deal with them, you’re wrong – CPU and RAM are affected as well.

Luckily it’s very easy to optimize XP for best performance by turning off unneeded visual effects:

Go to Start –> Settings –> Control Panel;

In the Control Panel click System and go to the Advanced tab;

In the Performance Options window select Adjust for best performance;

Click OK and close the window.

This will turn off all visual effects, which is especially good for less powerful PCs and netbooks. But if you want Windows XP to look sleeker, leave the following boxes checked:

Show shadows under menus;

Show shadows under mouse pointer;

Show translucent selection rectangle;

Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop;

Use visual styles on windows and buttons.

4. Speed up Windows Explorer

If you feel that Windows Explorer takes too long to start, there is a way to speed it up. Windows automatically looks for network files, shared folders, and devices every time you open Explorer. Disabling this option will speed up access to Windows Explorer. To do it:

Open Windows Explorer;

Click on the Tools menu;

Then click on Folder Options;

Click on the View tab;

Find Automatically search for network folders and printers check box and uncheck it;

Click Apply, then click OK;

Reboot your computer.

5. Disable indexing

Indexing can be useful, but it can also make your computer slow and loud, as it takes up RAM and makes the hard drive thrash. The indexing service is used to update the lists of all files on your computer to speed up file search. Disabling indexing will make your search a bit slower, but overall it will speed up computer running XP. Here’s how:

Go to Start –> Settings –> Control Panel;

Double-click Add/Remove Programs;

Click Add/Remove Windows Components;

Uncheck Indexing Services;

Click Next and then click Finish.

To gain an even better speed improvement, you should consider using third-party programs, like Auslogics BoostSpeed. The program allows you to easily tweak hundreds of hidden Windows setting, as well as perform crucial system maintenance tasks to speed up your computer.

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How to Clean Up & Fix the Registry in Windows XP

Windows XP (as well as subsequent versions of the operating system) uses a registry system to manage processes, drivers and peripherals that your computer frequently accesses. If you have a lot of outdated peripherals, uninstalled content, or have just noticed a gradual slowdown in your computer's overall maintenance, cleaning up and fixing your registry only takes a few minutes.

Instructions

1. Open the "Run" dialog box from the "Start" menu. A window will appear with a dialog box.
2. Type "regedit" into the text box, and then press Enter. A screen will pop up with a list of registry entrants arranged by category in a "tree" format. Click on all of the categories to expand all the trees and display all of the registry entries.
3. Identify all registry entrants associated with uninstalled programs, unused peripherals and unauthorized software. Highlight them with your mouse (hold the Shift key to highlight multiple entries) and then press the Delete button to delete the entries.
4. Close the registry tool and then restart the computer. You should notice an immediate improvement in your computer's performance.

How to Speed Up the Windows XP Registry

The Windows XP registry creates new registry entries for new programs that are installed on the computer. Sometimes programs do not clean up after themselves properly when performing an uninstall, and can leave behind useless files in the registry. These garbage registry entries cause Windows XP much confusion, and can slow down the overall system performance speed. CCleaner, RegSeeker and Micrsoft's own RegClean utility are three free programs designed to speed up the Windows XP registry.

Instructions:

1. Download, install and run CCleaner (see Resources). The free CCleaner software is designed to clean common junk files from the computer's hard drive and registry. Click the "Registry" button on the left-hand side of the main program screen to access the registry-cleaning function. Click the "Scan for Issues" button, then use the "Fix selected issues" button to fix any errors that are found.
2. Download, install and run RegSeeker (see References). RegSeeker is a freeware tool designed to help manage some of the more troublesome areas of the Windows XP registry. Click the "Clean the Registry" link on the left-hand side of the main program window to begin cleaning and fixing any errors.
3. Download and run the Microsoft RegClean utility (see References). Click the "Start" button to scan the registry for errors. After the scan has completed, follow the on-screen prompts to fix any errors found.

10 Ways to Speed Up Windows XP

After time and regular use, a Windows XP computer can begin to slow down. This often has to do with the programs installed on the machine and amount of data that is stored on the computer's hard drive. There are a number of ways that you can help clean up the hard drive and speed up your Windows XP computer, most for no cost other than your time.

Scan for Malware Regularly

Viruses and spyware install on your computer without your knowledge and run processes in the background. These processes take away from your computer's resources and start to bog down the responses that legitimate programs attempt to make. Keep your virus scanner up to date and scan your machine regularly to remove malware and speed up your computer.

Use Disc Cleanup

You can use the Windows Disc Cleanup tool to free up extra space on your hard drive by deleting old and unneeded files on your system. You can access this tool through the Start Menu by going to "System Tools" under the "Accessories" folder.

Use the Defragmenter

The defragmenter is another built-in Windows tool that can organize fragmented files on your system to help your hard drive read data faster. Depending on how often you use this tool, it may take a while to defragment your computer. You can find this tool on the Start Menu by going to "System Tools" under the "Accessories" folder.

Shut Down Programs on Startup

Often, there are a number of programs that you don't know about that start up each time you start your computer. These programs take up computer resources and may slow your computer down. You can run the "msconfig" command from the Start Menu and use the "Start Up" tab to choose which programs can turn on when you first start your computer.

Clean the Registry

As you install and uninstall programs on your computer, these programs leave data and information in your computer's registry. You can download registry cleaning programs that can help remove unused registry keys and leftover program data to help speed up the response of your computer.

Uninstall Unnecessary Programs

If you are not using a program that you have installed on your computer and do not think you'll need it anytime in the future, it's better to uninstall that program and free up space on your hard drive. You also never know when a program that you don't use often might be running functions in the background that can slow your computer down.

Turn Off Active Desktop

The Active Desktop feature allows you to use a variety of file types as the background image of your computer's desktop. However, sometimes this can use up processing resources and slow down a computer. You can disable the Active Desktop by going to the "Display" settings on your computer's Control Panel.

Install Windows Updates

Windows offers free updates that you can download to your computer. Keeping your computer updated allows you to have the newest security patches and driver updates for devices on your machine. Updates can also fix issues in programs and the operating system that may help speed up your computer.

Upgrade the RAM

You should have at least 512 MB of RAM memory installed on your computer to run Windows XP well. However, if you can install more than that, your computer will respond faster. You will need to know what kind of RAM your computer uses and you will need to purchase RAM from a computer retailer or online source. You will also need to be comfortable in opening up your computer and installing the RAM in your machine.

Re-install Windows XP

If nothing else seems to speed up your computer, it may be time to re-install a clean version of Windows XP. Make sure you back up all of your files before you attempt to re-install your operating system. You will also need to have your Windows XP disc and the Microsoft Product Key for your Windows installation.

How to Speed up Windows XP

There are a few things you can do to help speed up your computer running Windows XP. They include removing spyware and viruses, defragmenting your hard drive, eliminating unnecessary start-up programs and freeing disk space from your hard drive.

Instructions

1. Install and run a free anti-virus program, such as Microsoft Security Essentials (microsoft.com/en-us/security_essentials). Make sure that the virus definitions are up-to-date.
2. Disable start-up programs. To do so, navigate to the "Start" menu and select "Run." In the Run dialog, type "msconfig" (without quotes) and click "OK." The System Configuration Utility will appear. Select the "Startup" tab. Uncheck the programs that you do not want to start automatically (You can always run these programs manually). Click the "OK" button and reboot your computer.
3. Eliminate disk clutter by freeing disk space. To do so, navigate to the "Start" menu and select " All Programs," "Accessories," "System Tools" and "Disk Cleanup." Specify which drive you want to clean. Uncheck the checkboxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click "OK." Disk Cleanup will take a few minutes to run.
4. Run the Disk Defragmenter application at regular intervals. To do so, navigate to the "Start" menu and select "All Programs," "Accessories," "System Tools" and "Disk Defragmenter." The Disk Defragmenter dialog appears. Select the drives that you want to defragment and click the "Analyze" button. After the disk is analyzed, defragment the selected drive by clicking the "Defragment" button.

How to Clean Up Your Mac When It's Behaving Erratically

If your Mac is performing less efficiently or starting to experience glitches, it could be a sign that it needs basic maintenance performed or that you need to free up some memory. Check for any disk errors, free up memory and tidy up some extra space upon your difficult disk to troubleshoot any slowness or performance issues. You can perform many of the troubleshooting steps yourself without needing to take your computer to an Apple store.

Instructions:

Open Disk Utility, click "Macintosh HD," then click "Repair Disk Permissions." This checks your disk's current permissions against what they should be and modifies them accordingly. When this process is complete, click "Verify Disk." This process checks your disk for any serious errors, and if any are found, attempts to correct them. You will be notified if any are found during the scan, as well as if it succeeded in fixing them.
Open Activity Monitor to view which processes are currently running, then click "%CPU" to sort them by what percentage of the processor each program is using. Select any programs that you don't want running, then click "Quit Process" to close them. This helps your other programs run faster because you'll have more memory available; when your memory isn't stretched so, it is less likely that crashes and slowing will occur.
Uninstall any unused programs and delete any files you no longer need to clear space on your hard drive. A full hard drive rarely has any repercussions apart from not being able to install new programs or save additional data, but if your hard drive is almost completely full, your computer may slow down. When your computer's memory is nearly full, a small part of your hard drive -- typically 1 percent or less -- is allocated to serve as "overflow" memory. If your hard drive is completely full, it won't have room to do this, so your computer may slow down. Additionally, you may not be able to run larger programs. Try to make sure you have at least a few gigabytes of free space.

How to Detect Genuine Windows Using a Command Prompt

Windows Operating System automatically scans to determine whether your computer is running a real or counterfeit version of Windows. Sometimes, due to user mistake or virus activities, the Windows license key can change, causing your computer limited access to the operating-system features. Your computer will alert you in a number of ways if your Windows licensing key is not real. You can also use the command prompt to detect if the copy is genuine.

Instructions:

1. Click the "Start" button on your computer's desktop to launch the Start menu.
2. Type "cmd" in the textbox located in the Start menu and press the Enter key on your keyboard. This will launch the command-prompt window.
3. Type "slmgr.vbs /dlv" in the command-prompt window and press the Enter key on your keyboard. If you have a genuine copy of Windows, the software licensing status will appear in a new window. If you do not have a genuine copy of Windows, you will get an "Access denied" error instead.
4. Right click "Computer" from the Start menu and choose "Properties" from the menu.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the "System" window and click "Change Product Key."
6. Follow the instructions to reenter your product key or enter a new genuine product key to fix authenticating problems.