7 Tips to Keep Windows XP Fast and Receptive

January 13, 2009 Windows XP Tips

No matter how stable, any (Windows) operating system requires proper care, optimization and tuning to keep it fast and responsive headache over long periods.

Follow a few simple tips and keep XP spotless and speedy:

1.    Install only necessary applications – Installing and uninstalling applications everyday is not a good thing. Install only the vital applications, stay with them and don`t uninstall. Applications leave various files (temporary, shared etc) even after uninstalling them.
2.    Install a distinguished anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall – Installing an anti-spyware is significant, because sypware can simultaneously slow down your system and use internet bandwidth.
3.    Defragment your harddrive – The default defragmentation app on Windows defragmentation is very slow, so using a third-party tool is a good idea.
4.    Use multiple partitions smartly – Create partitions for operating system, program files, documents and media. Aim to keep the partitions small in size, except for the media partition. If you have more that one hard drive, use one for OS, and the other for files. Performance is improved and also increases the longevity of the hard drive.
5.    Optimize page-file usage – Windows controls the page-file usage by default. Performance can be improved by setting the limits manually. Go to Control Panel>System>Advanced, and click the settings button under Performance. In the Performance dialog box, click the Advanced tab. Click on the Change button under Virtual Memory. In the dialog box that comes up, click `Custom` and set the value at 1.5 times that of your system RAM, eg. If your computer has 1GB RAM, enter 1536 (remember, 1 GB= 1024 MB).
6.    Control startup applications - The greatest way to improve boot times is to disable unnecessary startup programs. Common apps to disable include Skype, Yahoo Messenger, iTunes etc. However, do not disable antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall applications.
7.    Ditch Internet Explorer – Windows and Internet Explorer are tightly integrated. This means that any vulnerability in the browser can make the OS also vulnerable. Spyware attacks, phishiing etc are commonplace on IE. A better initiative would be to get a third-party browser – Firefox or Opera.