10 Simple Ways To Speed Up Windows XP
Update: If you are using Windows Vista then check out 10 Simple Ways To SpeedUp Windows Vista. If are feeling more adventurous I have also posted 10 Intermediate Ways To Speed Up Windows and also More Ways to Speed Up Windows XP
I’ve just finished setting up a new PC for a friend and I think some of you will be interested in some of the tweaks I make to all of my PCs to make them quicker. I’ve focused here on the ones which are simple to do and won’t cause problems if you get it wrong, rather than listing registry tweaks etc.
1. Disable Indexing Services
Indexing Services is a small little program that uses large amounts of RAM and can often make a computer endlessly loud and noisy. This system process indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer. It does this so that when you do a search for something on your computer, it will search faster by scanning the index lists. If you don’t search your computer often, or even if you do search often, this system service is completely unnecessary. To disable do the following:
- Go to Start
- Click Settings
- Click Control Panel
- Double-click Add/Remove Programs
- Click the Add/Remove Window Components
- Uncheck the Indexing services
- Click Next
2. Optimise Display Settings
Windows XP can look sexy but displaying all the visual items can waste system resources. To optimise:
- Go to Start
- Click Settings
- Click Control Panel
- Click System
- Click Advanced tab
- In the Performance tab click Settings
- Leave only the following ticked:
- 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
3. Speedup Folder Browsing
You may have noticed that everytime you open my computer to browse folders that there is a slight delay. This is because Windows XP automatically searches for network files and printers everytime you open Windows Explorer. To fix this and to increase browsing significantly:
- Open My Computer
- Click on Tools menu
- Click on Folder Options
- Click on the View tab.
- Uncheck the Automatically search for network folders and printers check box
- Click Apply
- Click Ok
- Reboot your computer
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Pingback by 10 Simple Ways To Speed Up Windows Vista | Connected Internet on 16 May 2008:
[...] If you’re still using Windows XP, then check out 10 Simple Ways To Speedup Windows XP. [...]
Comment by Norman S. Weinfeld on 12 May 2008:
Problem solved (after MUCH wheel-spinning attempting to impliment solutions turned up on the web). Simply moving the removed (per above) fonts back to their original folder did the trick (in spite of error messages received in the doing concerning various “missing or corrupted” “GlobalMonospace.CompositeFont” files…).
Comment by Norman S. Weinfeld on 7 May 2008:
Addendum re Previous Post: As mentioned in another note below, my system is indeed a Dell (Infineon 8600 laptop)…
Comment by Norman S. Weinfeld on 6 May 2008:
I spent a good part of yesterday implimenting many of your suggestions. I did not disable the performance counters as it wasn’t clear to me that this program was for Windows XP Home Edition, which is what I have, unfortunately. The Microsoft site referenced stipulates XP Professional and/or 2003 Server I believe it was. Memory use seems to be a good bit improved. However, one problem I am encountering is that when I attempt to open either Word or Outlook, Windows attempts to reinstall the programs and prompts for a CD to be inserted. I am reluctant to do this as I am afraid of losing all my data and settings, etc. Moreover, if I cancel these reinstall windows out enough times (they tend to pop up repeatedly), Word and Outlook eventually open fine with all my old data. Outlook Express still works fine, as does Windows Live Mail - or, at least in the case of the latter, as good as it capable of… I did try reinstating a number of the services I had turned off (Alerter, Clipbook, etc.,) to no avail. Help?
Comment by John - car insurance costs on 16 April 2008:
Thanks for that! Had applied all but tip #10 before and they do work. Must try moving fonts as you suggested.
It might also be worth mentioning that users do a complete backup before attempting any tweaks, as getting it wrong can be a very painful experience.
Comment by mark redding on 13 April 2008:
It is possible that it is related to my own mistakes in carrying out the 10 steps. It did lead to frequent blue screens which require a complete reinstallation.
It may be with preconfigured computers like Lenovo, Dell and others that these changes unintentionally change other components of the operating system.
Mark from Ohio
Comment by JHON on 13 April 2008:
ONLY MY PC IS DAMN SLOW !!!!
Pingback by etlowyat.com/blog/how-to-speed-up-windows-xphow-to-speed-up-windows-xp/ Edit Post HTML Vi | Planet Lowyat on 8 April 2008:
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Comment by movies on 19 March 2008:
great tips, but there are simple hard drive defragmentation?