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10 Simple Ways To Speed Up Windows XP

December 3rd, 2005 • Related • Filed Under

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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About the Author

Everton is based in London and has worked in the internet and mobile space for over ten years now, and before that worked in corporate strategy and consulting. He has a degree in Economics from Cambridge University, and currently runs the Portal and online operations for one of the largest ISPs in the UK. He also writes for Windows 7 News.

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There Are 130 Responses So Far. »

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#110

Comment by George Lindemann Jr on 18 March 2008:

Thanks for the wonderful tips. Perhaps having the old win 98 theme also boosts performance
#109

Comment by Guadagnare on 25 February 2008:

Awesome, my xp is going slower than ever, I am going to check this out and let you know if it worked for me!

Thanks
Guadagnare
#108

Pingback by PC Boot up times... - BRISKODA - The Skoda Forum and Community on 10 February 2008:

[...] that, you are most likely due for an upgrade anyway. 15 Seconds here Pixi - You could try: 10 Simple Ways To Speed Up Windows XP | Connected Internet That works most of the time however it does sound like you need to upgrade yoru system Hope that [...]
#107

Comment by Portland Paranormal on 30 January 2008:

Isn’t the obvious way to increase windows xp is to decrease program use. I find the number one reason people have slow computers really comes down to they have two many damn memory resident programs running. I saw anything more than 35ish processes running is too much. I don’t care if you have 4GB of ram.
#106

Comment by Hanna Honeypot on 28 January 2008:

Thank you very much!
It was so slow… now it’s okay! :))
How I may to thank you…
visit my homepage at http://hannahoneypot.name
I’m very grateful there
#105

Comment by Trex on 28 January 2008:

Thanks for this post. I am currently upgrading my cousin’s pc and this is what I need to speed it up a little bit.
#104

Comment by Tal on 28 January 2008:

Cheers!
Maybe you’d wanna try this too -
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_can_i_speed_up_my_windows_xp_pc.html
#103

Comment by Tal on 28 January 2008:

Yeah, this was great. Cheers for that. Also you might want to try this great vid - http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_can_i_speed_up_my_windows_xp_pc.html
#102

Comment by Bob Ritchie on 25 January 2008:

Great tips!
#101

Comment by train2 on 16 January 2008:

nice one everton blair